A Girl for Ryan
by ryanforever
Summary: RM are 25. Marissa returned to LA after 7 years away and she and Ryan have hooked up. They know that it was Julie that split them up. But what does it all mean? Can they make it work and have a future together? Nothing comes easy for our favourite couple.
1. Marissa makes a choice

She placed the phone back in its cradle and lay back on the bed in her apartment in Paris. She just knew that what had happened in the last hour and the decisions she had made were ones that she would look back on in the years to come and know that they were life altering. She may have been only 25 but she knew that the time had come. For the last 7 years she didn't feel like she'd had any control over her own life. She had done what she felt she had to do.

But not any more.

She knew that she was going to have to tell her mother about what she was doing - but she was delaying the inevitable. Julie was now engaged to Dan Forrest, the head of a large advertising and PR company and she had moved to England a month ago to live with him while they waited for his divorce to come through. She wouldn't have believed that she would ever miss her mother but living and travelling on her own this past month, she had been lonely, and it had just confirmed that now was the right time for her to make this change.

She'd had this type of opportunity come up before, but Julie had always talked her out of it or booked other jobs which meant she wasn't available when they needed her - but not this time. Marissa had decided it was time she did something that SHE wanted to do. Ever since her father had taken off in her Senior year of high school, Julie had been steering Marissa's course and Marissa had gone along with it because there didn't seem to be any other choice.

But not any more.

Looking back she knew she should be thankful for the fact that she was a very successful model commanding huge fees all around the world, they certainly didn't need to worry about money anymore. But none of this is what she had wanted for herself.

After Jimmy took off, some how or other it fell to Marissa to make a living for herself and her Mum so when she started to get some modelling work she had to take it, even though it meant moving away from Newport, first to New York and then to Europe.

Newport….. It had broken her heart to leave.

She had finished high school with a tutor and even though she had all the best intentions of going to college it just never seemed to happen. She was always too busy. Julie was her manager and it seemed that Marissa worked almost continually. Needing a break was part of the reason she was so determined to do this. She wanted to spend a few months in one place. She was fed up with living out of a suitcase. And the fact that she would be only an hour's drive from Newport didn't hurt either.

Maybe she could look up her old friends and see how they were doing.

She was sure that they would have moved on. She had tried to keep in touch for a while after she left, but the weekly contact became monthly, then yearly and it was now 2 years since she had spoken to Summer and even longer since she had spoken to him.

She knew that he had graduated as an architect and that after college he had started a Design and Development Company that was very successful. He had won a number of architectural design awards, was on all the hottest bachelor lists and had just been named Forbes magazines Young Businessman of the Year again.

Even though it broke her heart when he had stopped replying to her emails she still thought about him every day. She'd tried to stop but she couldn't help it.

Shaking her head to try to rid herself of the image of him she grabbed the phone and dialled Julie's number knowing that she wouldn't be able to sleep until she got it over and done with.


	2. Julie finds out

The phone rang and rang and Marissa was just getting ready to leave a message when Julie finally answered.

"Marissa. How nice to hear from you. Are you still in Venice?"

" No mum. The Chanel shoot finished early. I'm back in Paris."

"So what's next? I hope that new manager of yours has you booked up. Need to keep those dollars, or Euros, I should say, flowing in"

"Well that is actually why I called. I've decided to take some time off and try something else."

"What? Why would you want to change what you are doing. Think of the glamorous lifestyle you lead. The travel, the money, the clothes and if you'd only say yes to Karl then you could have a handsome man in your bed as well."

"MUM ! How many times have I told you, I'm not interested in Karl. At least not that way. He is a friend and that's it. And I'm fed up with the travel and as for money, I have enough saved for 3 lifetimes since I never have any time to spend it."

"Well you can never have too much. Remember what happened when Caleb died. I don't ever want that to ever happen again."

"MUM !" Marissa was starting to get angry, she knew this conversation was going the same way that many had before. "I'm still going to be earning money, I'm just doing something different and staying in the same city for a few months."

Julie started to feel anxious, something just felt really bad about this conversation. "Okay. So what are you doing?"

"I've signed on for a role in a movie."

"But Marissa. You can't act"

"I act every day mum. How do you think they get photos of me smiling? ….And anyhow the part I play is a supermodel who gets kidnapped. I'm not one of the lead characters, the movie mostly concentrates on the ensuing hunt to try to find her and track down those responsible, so surely I should be able to make a reasonable go of it – getting into character shouldn't be too hard".

"Where is it being filmed?" Julie asked holding her breathe for the answer.

"Um… In Hollywood I think but maybe we have to film on location. I didn't actually ask" she stated. She knew exactly where it was being filmed but she also knew that it would set her mother off when she found out. For some reason Julie had an almost pathological fear about going back to Newport and that included LA. It was one of the things that had appealed to Marissa about the job. It meant she would have a chance to try to contact them all.

Julie started to panic. What could she do to make sure that Marissa never found out her secret. "I want you to promise me that you will not go to Newport and that you will not see him."

"Mum you know I can't promise that. It probably won't even happen. I could be just too busy with work and I suspect he definitely is. But if I do get the chance I would like to try to see Summer and maybe even Sandy and Kirsten….. but I don't even know whether they still live there."

"Perhaps I will come with you" Julie replied. She thought if she was there at least she could make sure that Marissa never got the opportunity to talk to him. "I'm sure Dan could do without me for a couple of weeks".

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm 25 years old and I can look after myself. You have a wedding to plan. You can't leave Dan to do that just to come and baby-sit me. Plus I'm expecting to be gone a few months."

"But what about the wedding? I need you here." Julie stated looking for any way that might keep Marissa from going.

"Mum. I'll promise I won't miss your wedding. I'll just fly back. "

"But Marissa. What about if you see him? He broke your heart. I still remember the nights when you cried yourself to sleep when he didn't reply to your emails. I don't want that to happen again"

"Mum. I'll be fine. I'm a big girl now. That was a long time ago." She tried to reassure Julie all the while thinking that she knew she still loved him or at least was still infatuated with him – not a day went by that she didn't think of him. But not for a minute did she think that he would be sitting waiting for her and she hoped that once she saw him and saw that he had moved on then maybe she would be able to also. "I have to go and get myself organised because I'm leaving at the end of the week."

"Where are you staying?" Julie asked.

"I'll let you know. The studio is organising it. By the way, I thought you'd be interested to know that the lead role is being played by Jake Hammond." Marissa added knowing Julie was a big fan and it might get her onto a different track.

"Oh. You lucky girl. You know if you play your cards right Marissa you could probably do well for yourself there. He is gorgeous and not married".

"Yeah that's because he usually has 2 or 3 women on the go at once. I'm afraid that is not the sort of man I'm after " she replied knowing exactly the sort she wanted but that she had left him behind years ago. "I'll give you a call when I get there. Bye Mum".

Julie placed the receiver back in its cradle and frowned. She really didn't know what to think. She wished that Marissa was not going back but she guessed she always knew that it would happen sometime. And she was almost certain that she would try to see him. Hell, if she'd known what he was going to make of himself then maybe she wouldn't have been so hell bent on keeping them apart. Who would have ever thought that he'd be a multi-millionaire in the space of 5 years? But it didn't matter anymore. What was important was that they never found out Julie's secret. She just didn't know how she could make sure that never happened.

As Summer opened the door of her apartment she could hear her phone ringing. She rushed in to the kitchen, grabbed it and flicked it open.

"Summer? Where have you been all day?"

"Sorry Cohen. I left my cell on the kitchen bench this morning after I was charging it and I just got home from work."

"Ah. I wondered why I hadn't been able to reach you all day. I'm on my way home and I just wondered if you want me to pick something up for dinner."

"Actually that would be great. I've had a really busy day with this new project. I'd just like to have an easy night vegeing out in front of the TV."

"Okay. What do you want?"

"Surprise me." She replied.

"Okay. I'll see you soon" Seth replied.

As Summer pressed the button to end the call she noticed she had 4 missed calls and 2 new messages. Three of the calls were from Seth but the last number was blocked. She connected to her voicemail and listened. The first message was from Seth looking for her. She deleted it and went on to the next, but as soon as she heard the voice, she reached for the stool to sit down before her knees buckled under her. She pressed replay on her voicemail to hear it again.

"Uh um Summ…it's me….I mean Marissa. Um….I know its been awhile but I'm coming home…..I mean to LA….and I'd like to catch up with you…if you still live there I guess….Anyhow, its nearly midnight here so I guess I'll try to call you again tomorrow. …Bye."

Summer sat there stunned.

It had been over 7 years since she had seen Marissa. She could still remember the last time they were together. The Fantastic Four had had dinner at the diner together one night. Marissa told them she was flying to New York the next day for a modelling contract. She was supposed to be gone for a week but she had never come back. As soon as one contract finished another started. Julie, who was Marissa's manager was lining them up back to back. She had tried to keep in touch for a few years but whilst Summer was studying and partying through college, Marissa was appearing on the front page of Vogue and travelling all over the world.

A number of times they had made plans to get together and see each other but Marissa had never showed. Something else more important always turned up. When Marissa had stopped replying to Summer's emails she figured that Marissa had just moved on.

Still… she couldn't wait for her to call back. She would like to catch up with her again and see how much she had changed. Summer didn't think they would ever go back to the way they were – it had been too easy for Marissa to just leave them all behind – but still it might be fun to have a famous supermodel as a friend.


	3. Ryan hears the news

Seth walked in the door with the food and dropped it on the kitchen bench. He walked into the lounge where Summer sat looking through old photo albums.

"Whatcha doing?" he asked.

"Just taking a trip down memory lane. You'll never guess who I heard from today."

"Who?"

"Marissa !"

"Who?" Seth looked vacantly at Summer knowing full well who she meant.

"Marissa – you dumb ass - as in Cooper."

"Whoa. That's a blast from the past. What did she want?"

"I don't really know. She just left a message saying that she was coming here and that she would like to catch up. She is supposed to be calling back tomorrow."

"So is this good news or bad? I mean you took it pretty hard when she took off, I don't want you getting hurt again." Seth suggested.

"Yeah. I know what you mean……. but sitting here, looking at these photos….I mean we had something special going on back then. I guess I'm interested to see just what she's been up to and if there is any of the old Marissa left."

"Well just be careful. She may have turned into another Julie and we definitely don't need that in our lives."

"I will ……. But for now let's eat" she replied closing up the album and making her way back into the kitchen.

"So how's the new project looking?" he asked.

"I wasn't so sure about it to start off with. I mean I sort of fell into this job thanks to you and I didn't really like the last one, but I think this is going to be good." she smiled as she thought back to how her life had unfolded.

Seth had persisted with Atomic County and had managed to get it published in the third year of college and it had been an instant success. So much so, that they had made it into a movie, and Seth had managed to get Summer the job of costume designer and Ryan the job of set designer. Summer had been doing fashion design at college and had thought that she would end up working in some fashion house spending years trying to get her designs noticed but with this position she could let her imagination run wild, and she loved it. After Atomic County, the studio had offered her a go at a sci-fi movie they were doing which was a huge success and since then it had been just one movie after another.

"A lot of the clothes will be just street clothes but… the woman that gets kidnapped is supposed to be a supermodel and there are a few scenes with her on the catwalk, so I figure I can have a bit of fun with those outfits."

"That's good, I know you didn't like that war movie you did, but this sounds like it will be a bit more up you're alley." Seth replied as he picked up another piece of pizza. He stood up to go and get some more drinks when he stopped dead and looked back at Summer.

"I wonder if he knows?"

Ryan looked up from the plans in front of him as his phone disturbed him. He grabbed it and looking at the called id smiled as he answered. "Hey. What's up?"

"Hey. Where are you? Still at work?" Seth asked.

"Yeah. Why what time is it?" Ryan asked.

"After 9 man. Maybe you should get a life."

"I have a life Seth and it keeps me very busy." Ryan smiled to himself. He and Seth had this conversation at least a couple of times a week. "Now, was that all you were calling me for? Cause if so, I have some plans and cost estimates that I need to finish up before I can go home."

"No. Don't you dare hang up on me? I just wanted to know if you had any unusual calls today?" Seth asked.

"No. Why? Should I?" Ryan wondered what Seth was up to.

"Not necessarily I guess, but Summer did."

"What some sort of heavy breather, it was probably you, so just own up now." Ryan chuckled thinking about his 2 best friends.

"Very funny. I don't think you will be quite so smart when you hear who it was." Seth suggested.

"Okay I'll bite. Who was it?" Ryan asked.

"No - too easy. You have to guess" Seth stated.

"Seth I'm a busy man."

"Awww. Just 3 guesses. If you don't get it, then I will tell you."

"Okay. Her dad, Sandy, Kirsten" Ryan replied trying to get this over and done with as soon as possible.

"No. Not even close. Try again."

"Seth I've had my 3 guesses just spill."

"No. Just try again. I'll even give you a hint. Think someone from way back…….. like school days."

"Seth…." Ryan was losing patience.

"Aw come on just 3 more"

"Umm Zac, Luke, Anna." Ryan replied.

"No. Try again"

"Seth … either just tell me or I'll hang up. I've got things to do."

"Oh okay. Marissa!"

"Whoa…Who…What?" Ryan stammered.

"Yeah that's what we thought man"

"What did she want?" Ryan asked trying to slow his breathing as his heart had raced at the mention of her name.

"Well summer didn't talk to her. She had left her cell at home today. But there was a message from Marissa saying she was coming to LA and wanted to see her or us. Actually I'm not sure which, but that she would call her again tomorrow. I just thought she might have called you or that you would at least like to know."

"Yeah … thanks" Ryan stated as he hung up.

Now he knew who the message was from. A few hours ago he had returned from the bathroom and noticed that he had missed a call. The number was blocked and when he had tried to listen to the message he couldn't make out what was said. It seemed odd and so he had actually kept it. He picked up his phone again and replayed it.

"Uh Hi………Uh….I ……..never mind" was all he could make out.

SHE was coming back.

He swivelled around in his chair and stared out of the window at the lights of the skyscrapers in front of him but all he could think of was Seth's phone call.

He hadn't seen her since Senior year when Julie whisked Marissa away to become the family bread winner. The parting had been hard but at the time there didn't seem to be any other alternatives. They had kept in touch for a while but then it just all fell apart.

He still remembered New Years Eve of final year of college. They had made plans to spend the holidays at the Cohen's but when he had got to Newport she had called and cancelled saying that she needed to stay in New York for a big job Julie had signed her up for.

He had been missing her so much, he decided that he would hop on a plane and go and spend New Years Eve with her as a surprise. He even let Julie know that he was coming to make sure Marissa didn't go out anywhere before he got there. He still remembered how excited he was when getting off the plane thinking about seeing her again only to be met by Julie telling him that Marissa was on a plane to London.

He was devastated. Julie had offered to put him up for a few days but he had decided to just change his ticket and take the next plane home. Julie actually even stayed and talked to him while he was waiting for his flight. She explained that she thought Marissa had moved on with her life and that she didn't think she thought about him in the same way anymore. Too much time had passed and Marissa's life was now somewhere else.

Whilst on the plane home, Ryan thought about what Julie said, but didn't want to believe it, so he had spent the flight home writing Marissa a letter, telling her how he felt and what she meant to him and asking her if she still felt the same way and he posted it when he got off the plane. When he returned home he tried to call her and sent her emails to try to find out where they stood but her phone never answered and she didn't reply to her emails, so he figured Julie had been right. He had too much pride to keep trying so he just gave up.

He'd gone back to college and tried to move on. He'd spent every weekend out partying. Drinking and sleeping around but never with the same girl twice. He'd given his heart away once and he would not ever do that again.

The only good thing to come out of it all was that he had concentrated hard on making something out of himself. Somehow he felt that she had got carried away by all her successes and he figured that if he was successful then she might regret what she had done.

Working on Atomic County the movie with Set and Summer during the last year of college had been fun, but more importantly he'd realised that he was good at what he did. The studio had offered him a permanent job but he had decided that it wouldn't be enough for him. He was happy to act as a consultant for them whenever they were having problems, and still did, but he knew he wanted more.

Working with them had given him the confidence to start his own business.

So when he graduated he had started a small design business with Kirsten and Sandy's support. He wouldn't take money from them but they went guarantor on the business loan that he started out with and they helped with all the legal and business side of things. He began designing McMansions in Newport and very quickly got a name for himself for his flair and ingenuity. He took some risks that had all paid off.

He decided that to get in to the market he needed something special - so he'd price houses at just above cost with bonuses for being on time and under budget. It had proved to be a winner. The rich Newport buyers hadn't got rich by throwing their money away but they were all more than happy to reward excellence when they could see what they were paying for. All that time on construction sites had finally paid off. Not only were his designs interesting and imaginative but he had a real knack for business that was totally unexpected. He figured it was because where he came from you were always careful with your money so he was always looking for ways to get the best deal for his clients. It had been the basis for him getting a big slice of the market and Atwood Industries was now known for it all across the country. People were even prepared to wait up to a year if they wanted one of Ryan's personal custom made designs.

He had been coerced by a few good clients into branching out into some commercial developments and had even done a couple of holiday resorts but without doubt the last year had been his most rewarding. He had built Atwood Industries up with handpicked staff that were carrying the company to even bigger and better things. He had already made a small fortuneso money was no longer a problem and it meant he could back off a little and spend time setting up something that he had been thinking about for a while.

With Sandy's help, he had started a branch of Atwood industries that specialised in low-cost housing. Not only that, but any profits made from the division went straight to a training division he had set up which picked up kids in similar circumstances to what he had been in and gave them a trade. They were then employed by his construction division and it was already starting to make a difference in some of the lower income areas where it was operating. It was amazing how different kids would behave when they could see that if they worked hard they could have a real future. He really hoped that it would make a difference.

Professionally things could not have been better and for him that's all there was. Except for his family. He had work, Sandy, Kirsten, Seth and Summer and that's all he needed. He knew exactly where he stood with them. He would do anything for them and they would do likewise for him. He knew he could always count on them.

He sat and thought to himself. He didn't need her coming back and upsetting the balance of his life when he had finally got it together. Sure she was still the last thing he thought of when he went to bed at night and the first thing he thought of in the morning but he had finally managed to put her out of his thoughts during the day and he didn't know if he'd be able to do that with her in the same city. Why had she tried to call him?

Maybe he was not quite as over her as he thought.

He picked up his phone and keys and turned out the lights of the office.

There was no way he would be getting anymore work done tonight.


	4. Contact is made

Summer had been edgy all day waiting for Marissa to call so that when the phone finally rang she almost jumped out of her skin.

"Coop?" she asked answering her phone.

"Yeah Sum it's me. So…… how have you been?" Now that she was talking to her Marissa didn't know what to say.

Summer thought about being bitchy and replying _"Did you mean how have I been this year, last year or the one before since you wouldn't have any idea since you cut us all off"_ but she held her tongue. No point getting off to a bad start. "Fine. What about yourself?"

Marissa wasn't too sure. This didn't sound like the Summer she remembered. Maybe too much time had passed and they would actually have nothing in common anymore. "Yeah I'm fine."

"Um… so you're coming to LA."

"Yeah. Are you still living at Newport?" Marissa asked.

"No. Seth and I have an apartment in LA not far from where I work."

"So you and Seth still going strong?"

Summer smiled to herself. "Yeah he's still as childish as ever but I love him. So I guess I'm stuck with him. Besides who else would have him?" Summer joked.

Marissa smiled to herself. "Sounds like nothings changed at all."

Summer wondered if Marissa thought she could step back into their lives as if she'd never left and she wanted her to know that it wouldn't be that easy. She wasn't going to waltz into there lives for a couple of days while she did some photo shoot and then waltz out again like she had done all those years ago leaving everyone behind. "Well actually quite a lot has changed but I guess the characters are still the same…… So…. you're coming to LA?"

"Yeah I'll get there on Sunday."

"So … Do you need a bed?"

"No… thanks anyhow…. but the studio is booking something for me near the set."

"Hold on. Did you say studio?"

"Yeah. Don't laugh …but I'm going to have a go at acting."

"Wow. I just figured you'd be coming for a photo shoot and that you'd be gone in a couple of days." Summer explained.

"Nope I'm expecting to be there for at least a couple of months. That's why I wanted to see if we could maybe catch up. I'd love to see everyone again."

"Hang on. The movie your doing its not the new Jake Hammond one is it?" Summer asked.

"Yeah. You must be a big fan of his to take so much interest." Marissa added

"You've got to be kidding. I can't stand him. He's an arrogant arsehole and such a sleaze. But I'm the costume designer."

"What! That's great I can't believe we'll be working together. "

"Yeah... just don't bother telling me if you don't like the clothes. I still suffer from rage blackouts and I don't take criticism well. Just ask Seth."

Marissa laughed. "I'm sure I'll love them all. That's why you were always my favourite shopping buddy. You always knew exactly what looked just right. So I'm guessing you love your job?"

"Well what do you expect. They are paying me to do something I would probably do for free. But please don't tell the studio that. What they don't know won't hurt them." Summer confided.

Marissa laughed. "You're secret is safe with me. So….. How are Sandy and Kirsten?" Marissa asked trying to get Summer to mention him without her having to actually ask.

"Yeah. They are fine. Still living in Newport. They are both sort of semi-retired but I think sometimes they are working harder than ever."

"I don't understand." Marissa queried.

"Well they help Ryan out when he needs them." Summer explained.

"Uh…How's he going?"

"Well unless you've been in prison in Siberia for the last few years you'd have to know about how our Golden Boy is doing."

"Yeah. I have read a few articles about him. He has obviously done really well for himself" Marissa replied and then added "……. Is he happy?"

Summer wasn't prepared to go down this path with Marissa. Sure they had been best friends for years but since she left Summer had grown really close to Ryan. She knew that Marissa had broken his heart and she would do everything in her power to make sure Marissa didn't hurt him again. But then Marissa sounded like she cared so Summer hesitated as she thought about what to say.

"Let's just say he is very successful and leave it at that. I'm sure that must make him happy otherwise he wouldn't push himself so hard." Summer wanted to change the subject. She didn't want to talk about Ryan. If Marissa had issues with him then she should talk to Ryan herself not use Summer as some sort of go between. "So when do you arrive again?"

"I'll be there Sunday. I have to start work Monday."

"Well you'll probably want a decent rest on Sunday to try to get over the jetlag so how about I just see you at work on Monday and we'll make some plans then."

"Okay sounds great……and Sum."

"Yeah?"

"Tell him…….. I mean everyone…. I said Hi."

Summer thought back over the phone call with Marissa. She knew she would have to tell Ryan about it and she didn't know how he would react. Marissa was obviously still interested in him but Summer wasn't sure in just what way.

Somewhere along the line they had all just stopped talking about her, it seemed easier. Thinking back the last time she had heard Ryan mention her name had been a few years ago at Christmas when Seth in typical, Seth crassness, had given Ryan a subscription to just about every magazine that Marissa had ever been on the cover of. Ryan had barely spoken when he had unwrapped the pile of magazines many of which had her on the cover. He hadn't yelled at Seth or laughed or anything. He just quietly thanked Seth and said something about Marissa would appreciate him increasing the circulation of her magazines and then went quiet and everyone just moved on to the next thing and didn't mention it again.

Ryan sat at work and for about the fifth time that day he picked up the phone to call Summer and then put it back down again. He wanted to know if she had spoken to Marissa yet but he didn't want her to know just how preoccupied he had become. He knew that one of the reasons he was so successful was that he could manage to focus on what needed to be done and block out everything else. But he couldn't block out the thought of Marissa. Even after all this time. He'd achieved nothing all morning so he figured he would go over to the studio and have a look at the project they were having problems with and who knows maybe he could accidentally (or on purpose) run in to Summer while he was there.

"Ryan. What are you doing here?" Summer smiled as he entered her office.

"I had to come and look over something so I thought I'd drop by and see if you wanted to go to the canteen and grab a late lunch.

"Actually, I've already eaten but why don't you pull up a chair and I'll pour you a coffee."

"Thanks. So. How's work been?"

"Are you really interested or are you just fishing for info?" Summer smiled at him as she placed the mug of coffee in front of him.

"What do you mean?"

"C'mon Chino. I know you too well. I'm not as silly as I look. Just because I hang out with Cohen doesn't mean I have totally lost my feminine intuition. I mean you hang out with him and you're still normal, well basically."

"Okay. So maybe I'm just a little interested if you had any more unusual calls today?" he looked at his coffee and then back up at Summer giving her one of his trade mark half smiles.

"Yeah. She rang about 15 minutes ago. If you'd been a little earlier you could have spoken to her yourself."

"No. I don't think that would have been a good idea at all…. You know I think she may have tried to call me yesterday too."

"Really."

"Yeah. I had a message that went sort of 'Hi um never mind' and that was it and it was from a blocked number so I couldn't call it back."

"Yeah. Well that sounds like her. Her phone definitely has a blocked number. I guess she maybe gets hassled by fans so she is probably careful about who she gives it to. I forgot to ask her for it."

"So what's the deal. Is she really coming to LA?"

"Yeah and it's a good thing you're sitting down because you'll never believe it. It's not at all what I thought."

"What do you mean?" he frowned. She now had him worried.

"Don't worry. Nothing wrong. It's just I figured she would be flying in one day and out the next with a photo shoot in the middle."

"And. isn't that what's happening".

"Nope. She's going to be working right here. She's signed up for the role of the model in "Fashion Victim", the new Jake Hammond movie that starts next week. So she'll probably be around for a couple of months."

Ryan sat there stunned. Marissa in LA for a couple of months. He had thought if she was just here for a day or two then he could either avoid seeing her altogether or maybe just say hi and goodbye because she would be gone too quickly for it to matter. But two months.

"Ryan. Are you still with me?" Summer asked waving her hand in front of his eyes.

"Um Yeah Sorry. I …ah… that just… that just took me by surprise."

"I told you. So do you think we need a family meeting to discuss this?" Summer asked.

"Discuss what?"

"Well I think from the way she spoke, that she is hoping we will all go back to being friends again but I'm not so sure if we should let that happen. I mean it's not like I am going to ignore her or anything, but I think she needs to apologise for what she put us through. You especially."

"I'm a big boy Summer and it was all a long time ago. I think we have all moved on since then. You never know she may have turned into another Julie".

"That's exactly what Cohen said. I think you two spend too much time together. But seriously, she seemed pretty interested in what you were up to. Do you still think about her?"

He took a deep breath and looked at the dregs in his coffee cup.

"Every day". He sighed.


	5. Marissa arrives

Marissa spent the next couple of days packing. She was exhausted from the mood swings she was having. One minute she was excited about having a go at acting and doing something different, next she was anxious that she would be hopeless at it. Then she would try to make herself feel better by thinking about seeing them all, then she was petrified that he wouldn't want to have anything to do with her.

On top of all this she had a few calls from Julie trying to get her to change her mind. They were all basically the same.

Julie telling Marissa that she was throwing away her career. That she should know how important it was to be able to provide for herself. That she shouldn't risk getting out of the public eye because while she was hot now, there were no guarantees that things would stay the same.

Marissa telling Julie that she never wanted to be in the public eye in the first place and the only reason she had stuck with it so long was because she could never make the same sort of money any other way, especially without a college education. Reassuring her that she had enough money saved that she could take a few years off and still be okay and that she had never wanted the life she had, so she just wanted to try something different.

When Sunday came Marissa couldn't wait to get on the plane but once it took off she started to get very apprehensive about what she would find once she got there and just where this would all take her.

It was Sunday and Jake Hammond was sitting in the bar at the hotel waiting for her to arrive. He'd checked with the studio and if her flight was on time, she should be arriving at the hotel anytime now. He'd contemplated going out and meeting her but he didn't want to seem too obvious.

After all he was the famous movie star, she should be chasing after him. He was very pleased that she had accepted the role. He'd had a thing for her for quite a while now and had even tried to talk to her at an awards night in London but she had ignored him and even given him a polite brush off. He figured that was just because she had been living overseas for so long that perhaps she didn't recognise him, so he had forgiven her. But now they would be on his turf and it was obvious who the star was here, so he was prepared to give her another chance.

Hell, if he was honest with himself she was gorgeous enough he would give her several chances as long as he got her in the end. He thought they would make a great looking couple. He was tall, dark and handsome and her with her willowy golden locks they would look great together and really that was all that mattered to him.

A limo pulled up at the front of the hotel and he noticed the photographers jump in to action so he figured it must be her. They would be looking for any opportunity to get a shot of her.

As she glided in to the hotel and walked up to reception he finished up his drink and walked over to her.

"Marissa Cooper" he said as he held out his hand. "I'm Jake Hammond nice to meet you. Welcome to LA."

She thought for a minute that he was the manager of the hotel and then she realised who it really was. "Well Thank you. It's nice to be back."

"Please give Ms Cooper anything she needs and put it on my bill" Jake instructed to the man behind the counter, knowing full well that the bills were being paid for by the studio anyhow, but figuring it would make him look good.

"Why thank you. That's really very nice, but not necessary." She said to Jake. "I'd rather pay for myself." She politely said to the man behind the counter.

"Don't worry the studio is picking up the bill for you both" he said as he passed Marissa the key to her room, smiling to himself that she had not let Jake Hammond take over. "We have a suite reserved for you Ms Cooper. If you'd just like to take the lifts to the 10th floor and it is room 1011. Someone will bring your luggage up shortly and I hope you enjoy your stay."

"Thank you, I'm sure I will."

She turned to make her way to the lifts when she was stopped by a hand on her arm.

"Why don't we have a drink in the bar while you wait for your luggage to be delivered?" Jake asked.

"Thanks. Maybe some other time but right now I've had a really long flight and I'm just looking forward to climbing into bed."

He thought he wouldn't mind climbing into bed with her, but sensed it may be a little early for that. "Okay. Well I'll see you at breakfast and I'll give you a ride to the studio."

"Okay. Um Bye" she turned and made her way to the lifts. There was something a bit off about him and she remembered Summer's words. She was going to have to watch her step with him. There was only one man she was interested in spending time with in LA and it wasn't Jake Hammond.

Monday came and the day passed quickly. It was all new and Marissa had been busy trying to take it all in. She had managed to have a quick bite to eat with Summer at lunch time and she had agreed to go to Seth and Summers on Wednesday night for dinner. Apparently Ryan came over every Wednesday night so Summer thought it would be a good opportunity for them to all catch up. Just the thought of seeing him had made it difficult for her to concentrate, since she'd come back from lunch and it was still 2 days away. She'd have to pull herself together before then. Hopefully she'd be too busy at work to think about it too much otherwise she'd be a wreck by then. About 4 o'clock she was in her dressing room busily trying to learn her lines when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in. "

A girl about her age entered with a clipboard in hand. "Hi. I'm Kate, the production assistant and I've just been told you're needed down at the admin building to complete some paperwork."

"Er. Okay but I don't actually know where to find it. I came with Jake this morning and I didn't really concentrate on how we got here."

"It's easy. You can borrow my golf cart. It's the red one parked outside. Just drive to the end of this lane take a right then the second left third right and it's straight ahead. I've got a few things to do here so, just come and find me when you get back." She said as she handed Marissa the keys to the cart.

"Okay thanks. " Marissa replied. As she made her way outside the building she kept going over the directions in her mind, found the red cart and started off. She got to the end of the lane took the first left then the second right but then she ran into a fence that surrounded the lot. She reversed and went back but all the sound stages looked the same. She tried another way but was just starting to think she would have to try to retrace her steps and go back to the start when she saw someone coming out of a door up ahead so she thought she would just go and ask for directions.

She was driving into the sun and it was late afternoon so she was squinting as she neared the person. Her heart started to beat faster because he looked like someone she knew but that was impossible. It must be her imagination just playing tricks on her.

Ryan had been called to the lot to try to help with some ideas for a set that was causing problems and he had just finished up. He was sure with the modifications he had recommended that they wouldn't have any more problems with it. He thought about the fact that she would actually be here on the other side of the lot and he could have always dropped by but he wasn't ready to see her yet.

He had spoken to Seth and Summer yesterday and it was agreed that Summer would invite Marissa to dinner at their place on Wednesday. Ryan had dinner at Seth and Summers every Wednesday night, unless he was out of town and they figured that at least this way they would all be there for one another to run interference if they felt it was necessary. But Ryan was still thinking about her as he headed to his golf buggy to go back to the admin building where his car was parked.

He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he raised his arm to rub it wondering what had caused it when a buggy stopped beside him.

"Excuse me."

He turned around and his heart stopped.

"Ryan………….." she gasped "What..I mean..I..um… I'm lost."

He stood dumbfounded. This wasn't right. He'd just decided that he wasn't ready to see her yet, but obviously fate had decided otherwise.

"Um… Yeah you are…" he was having trouble breathing let alone talking.

"Um… do you know … admin… building?" Marissa mumbled. She couldn't believe that he was here in front of her. Her brain had stopped functioning. She wasn't supposed to see him until Wednesday night. She had figured she would have been able to prepare herself by then and if she wasn't ready she could have always backed out of it. But he was here … now….. in front of her.

"Um yeah …follow me" he said as he started up his buggy and drove away.

Marissa followed him. As she drove she was trying to think what she should say to him while he was thinking exactly the same thing. She hadn't been ready to see him yet. He was absolutely gorgeous. I mean she had always been attracted to him but how was it possible that he was even better looking.

They soon pulled up outside the admin building and Ryan pulled his buggy into the parking lot and hopped out. He noticed his legs weren't working properly and were a bit wobbly as he made his way over to where she had parked.

"Uh…They have maps inside…….. so you don't get lost again."

"Thanks,……. I'll make sure I get one…… Um what are you doing here?" she asked still unable to believe that he was here in front of her.

"I sometimes come and give them some advice if they are having problems." He replied thinking he liked direct questions. He knew the answers to those and it meant he didn't have to think of something to say.

"So …um…are you here often?" she didn't know if she would be able to concentrate if he was likely to come anywhere near her set.

"Depends." He didn't want to make this easy for her but she looked so good. His eyes were drinking her in. He thought she was even more gorgeous than when he had last seen her all those years ago and he had thought she was beautiful then. He held the door open for her to enter the building and followed behind. He kept his distance. It was as though she had a magnetic force that was pulling him in but he somehow felt that if he got too near to her then he would automatically combust.

"Who did you need to see?" Ryan asked.

"Um I don't really know. Kate just told me I had some paperwork to fill out." She looked at the receptionist who couldn't take her eyes off Ryan. Marissa stood in front of the desk but she may as well have been invisible. The girl was almost hyperventilating.

"Can I help you Mr Atwood?" she asked.

"Yes Sarah. This is Marissa Cooper and she has just started today and has some forms to fill out."

"That will be with Lisa if you just go down this hall way it's the last door on the right." Sarah indicated a hall to the right whilst never taking her eyes off Ryan. Marissa thought to herself, how could you blame her, if she had her chance she would stare at him too?

"Thanks." Marissa replied and turned to say goodbye to Ryan, as Jake Hammond walked out of the office she was heading to.

"Marissa. Just the person I needed to see. Are you about ready to go back to the hotel? I have made reservations for us for dinner for 8 so we better not hang around here too much longer or you won't have time to get beautiful for me." Jake smiled … or was it more a lecherous grin?

Ryan froze at the thought of her hanging out with this sleaze.

"I just have to fill out some forms and then we can go but I'm afraid I won't be having dinner with you this evening, I'm just too tied. It's been a big day. I'm just going to get a snack sent up from room service and then I have to call my mother and you know how mothers like to talk. So maybe some other time" she commented thinking he really didn't take the hint very easily. She turned to Ryan. "Thanks again. I hope to see you soon." She smiled as she looked at him shyly.

He wasn't exactly being chatty and she wished that she'd had more time to prepare for meeting up with him but it was all so sudden she just didn't know what to say.

"No problem. I'll guess I'll see you later."

"Yeah. Later." She replied and walked off to find Lisa.


	6. Dinner at Seth and Summer's

On the way back to the hotel Jake tried again to convince Marissa to dine with him but she resisted. He thought to himself that she would give in eventually but little did he know she was actually finding it easier and easier to say no and if he kept this up she didn't know if she could even continue to be polite to him.

When they arrived at the hotel they were met by a number of tabloid photographers all looking for a photo of them together. Marissa wanted to just ignore them but Jake pulled her back to pose with him. He told her all publicity was good publicity as far as he was concerned. She couldn't disagree more. But she gritted her teeth and then made her way inside.

Once in her room she took a long shower, ordered a sandwich from room service and then decided it was time to call Julie.

"Marissa. How was your first day?" Julie asked.

"Busy. I have no idea what I'm doing. I have to ask questions all the time but everyone seems to be very patient with me. I guess that will run out eventually but for the moment it's fine."

"Have you seen anyone?" Julie asked wondering if she would have tried to get in touch with any of them yet.

Marissa knew exactly what her mother was fishing for but she would not make it easy for her so she played dumb. "What you mean movie stars? Well Jake Hammond obviously, he actually asked me out to dinner tonight."

"Marissa that's great. He's a real catch. Well you go and have a good time and I'll talk to you later." Julie replied thinking that if Marissa had a man in her life then there would be less chance that she would try to contact Ryan.

"No. I declined. I'm really tied and still getting over jet lag so I just needed an early night."

"Well I hope you just took a rain check. You won't get offers from someone like him everyday." Julie replied.

"Well I've had one everyday so far and I swear the man thinks he God's gift to women so I don't think it has even entered his head yet that I am really not interested."

"Marissa, please don't do this again. How many handsome, eligible and rich bachelors have you just brushed off in the last few years? You know you may be attractive but there isn't a never ending supply. Even for you."

"I know mum, but I'm really not interested in him. When I find someone I am, I'll be sure and let you know." A picture of a certain someone came in to Marissa's mind as she said this, but she wasn't about to tell her mother about that. Not yet anyhow.

Almost as if she had ESP Julie asked "So you haven't spoken to him yet."

"Who?" Marissa asked innocently.

"Don't who me. You know who."

"Actually I have."

"What!..When… You've only been there 24 hours. You just couldn't help yourself. Even though I told you to keep away. He'll just break your heart again. I told you to have nothing to do with him. You should never have gone to LA in the first place." Julie was panic stricken. What would she do if it all came out?

"Whoa mum. Panic much? I barely said two words to him."

"I don't understand." Julie said trying to calm herself down.

"I got lost on the lot today and I actually stopped to ask someone directions and it just turned out the someone was Ryan. Interesting hey?"

Interesting was not the word Julie would have used. Disastrous was more what she was thinking of. "So did you talk to him?"

"Barely. He was just leaving. I guess you could say we exchanged pleasantries but that was about it." Marissa replied thinking back to her meeting with Ryan.

"And how does he look?" Julie couldn't help but ask.

"Better than ever. His hair is a bit darker. I guess he doesn't get to spend as much time in the sun as he used to but his eyes are even bluer than I remembered."

"Marissa. Just take my advice and keep away from him. Sure he might be rich, famous and good looking but you know he's not for you."

"I'm sure he is not interested in me mum so don't worry. Anyhow enough about me. How is Dan? Is his divorce through yet?" Marissa asked knowing the best way to change the subject was to get her mother started on talking about herself.

"No. Probably about 6 weeks the lawyer seems to think. His wife is being a real bitch."

"Well I guess she is entitled to. You pair have upset her life just a smidge."

"Don't you take her side. You know Dan wasn't happy with her but if you are just in one of those moods where you will say anything just to annoy me then I'm going to hang up and I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. I've got to go anyhow, my room service just arrived. I'll call you later in the week."

"Just make sure you stay away from him. You know he will only break you heart." Julie added wanting to do all she could to stop Marissa from talking to Ryan.

"Don't worry mum. I'm fine. That was all a long time a go. I've grown up a lot since then. He can't hurt me like that anymore." Marissa said as she hung up. She placed the telephone down and wondered to herself if she really believed that or not.

Knowing the affect just seeing Ryan had on her today she wasn't so sure.

---

The next morning Marissa had to spend some time in wardrobe with Summer, being measured and fitted for her costumes. She had been looking forward to it, hoping that Summer would bring her up to date with everything that had been going on. Marissa told Summer about her meeting with Ryan and how awkward it had been. She had been hoping that Summer would reassure her and tell her that everything was fine but Summer didn't seem to want to talk about Ryan at all. If anything Summer seemed to be more in to asking questions than answering any. She asked about what Marissa had been doing in Europe and how Julie was going and generally kept up small talk until their time together was almost ended.

Summer had been looking forward to the morning working with Marissa. She still seemed like the old Marissa but Summer wasn't going to let her guard down that easily. It was obvious that Marissa was interested in Ryan, very interested, but after all that had happened Summer was very protective of him. Sure he might seem like the handsome, rich eligible bachelor that he was, but Summer also knew the other side of Ryan. The side that he now kept hidden to all but his 'family' and she would do every thing in her power to make sure that Marissa didn't hurt him again. That was why she had planned for them to meet at her and Seth's apartment. She figured she could keep an eye on them. There was a part of her that could think of nothing better than the Fantastic Four getting back together but she would just have to wait and see.

Summer realised that Marissa had been happy to answer all of her questions and it really did seem like she was the same old Marissa, except that she obviously got on with Julie now, which had never happened when she had lived in Newport. That in itself made Summer nervous. Anybody that got on with Julie was a bit strange as far as Summer was concerned but the more she spoke with Marissa the more she came to realise that this was an older and more mature Marissa. She seemed to have accepted that Julie was her mother and nothing was going to change that but it didn't necessarily mean that they saw eye to eye.

Summer laughed at Marissa when she was relating her call to her mother last night. She didn't for a minute think that it was strange that Julie would be dead against Marissa seeing Ryan. Julie had never liked him.

"I mean she gets almost hysterical at the mere mention of his name." Marissa stated.

"So I guess you didn't tell her that we are all having dinner together tomorrow night." Summer laughed.

"Hell no! I think she would be on the next plane here to forcibly restrain me. I mean we are talking raving lunatic stuff here. Worse than when I lived here." Marissa added.

"It surprises me. I mean the old Julie Cooper Nichol would have greeted him with open arms now that he is made of money. She must have changed. Or maybe there is something more to it?" Summer mused. " I know. You know how she got together with Luke well maybe she put the moves on Ryan and he knocked her back. I don't think she would ever forgive him for that." Summer laughed at the mere thought of Ryan and Julie together.

Marissa was laughing at Summer's suggestion knowing that she was just being Summer and thinking of the most ridiculous thing she could but part of Marissa was concerned. Surely it couldn't be anything like that. But her mother definitely had an irrational fear of her spending time with him. She hadn't really thought about it before but surely there wasn't anything between Ryan and Julie.

Was there?

---

Wednesday afternoon came and Marissa went to check with Summer what she should wear tonight and to get their address.

"I just want to look nice for him." Marissa stated obviously getting nervous about the upcoming dinner.

"You could wear a sack and still look great so I don't know what you are worried about." Summer replied. "But if you are really concerned why don't you come home with me. I have to drop by the mall on the way home to pick up a couple of things for dinner and I'm sure we could fit in a bit of shopping while we are there. There is a new store there that you will just love. We could have a bit of the old Summer/Marissa shopping time and then you could just get ready at my place. What do you say?"

"I'd love it. It would also give me an excuse not to go back to the hotel with Jake. I mean that man is getting really creepy. He's a real jerk. But, are you sure it won't be too much trouble. Having to take me with you. I mean it's not that easy for me to go to a shopping mall anymore. Someone always seems to recognise me and then I seem to end up with a trail of people following me wanting autographs or photos or something"

"Listen … I'm used to it. Much as he tries to avoid it, Ryan has to shop sometimes, like Chrismukkah and birthdays and I often go with him, as advisor and to run interference. Let me tell you he resembles the Pied Piper. Although he always seems to leave a trail of broken hearts behind when they realise that he doesn't even notice them."

"I think I know what you mean. Yesterday when I was at admin, the girl behind reception didn't even notice I was there she was so busy falling over herself when he walked in the door."

"Yeah. That's Sarah. I think she has already picked out names for their children. She's been in lurrvv with him for about 3 years now…along with most of the other single females that work here, actresses included."

"But surely they have all the film stars to drool over. Why do they all pick Ryan?"

Marissa asked.

"Surely you of all people should know him well enough to know that he is in a different class?"

"Yeah. I know what you mean." Marissa replied thinking she had no chance of getting him back when he could have his pick.

---

They had a great time at the mall and Marissa had a lovely time with Summer spending up big. She bought a couple of outfits because they just couldn't decide which was best and shoes and underwear to match each outfit and then they headed back to Seth and Summers apartment.

After they had both showered and changed (Marissa ended up tossing a coin to decide which outfit to wear), Summer set about getting dinner started while Marissa set the table.

"I love your apartment. It's just beautiful. Even though it is in the middle of town it has a really open spacious feel to it. There is nothing like this in Europe, everything is pokey."

"Yeah. We love it too, but you can guess who designed it." Summer added.

"What? No?...Really?" Marissa stated as Summer nodded her head.

"Yep. He really is gifted. He didn't become successful by being just a good salesman. His designs are so good they sell themselves. He has whole projects sold out before he has even finished the designs. You should see his penthouse. It is absolutely gorgeous."

"Does he still live in Newport?"

"No. He has a house at Newport but he found he was spending too much time commuting so he now only uses it on weekends. During the week he uses the penthouse in town."

"I'm amazed, and I guess just a little nervous." She looked at Summer and laughed. "Okay who am I kidding? I'm shit scared. I mean I don't even know if I'll be able to think of anything to talk to him about. I could barely remember my own name when I saw him. He is a little intimidating."

"No he isn't. He is still the same old Chino. Just busier and he certainly doesn't need to wait tables at the Crab Shack anymore for money." Summer laughed.

"When I saw him on Monday, he didn't really seem like he wanted to talk to me. It looked like he couldn't get away fast enough." Marissa looked at Summer wishing she could have said the exact opposite.

"Well. Maybe he was just as surprised as you were at running into you like that. I'm sure you'll find that he is still the same old Ryan. Why don't we have a glass of wine to help settle your nerves while we wait for the boys."

"Okay. Sounds good."

---

Seth arrived home about 7:30 to a couple of giggly women. He topped up their drinks and got himself one and sat and watched and listened to them chatter on about anything and everything. He couldn't get a word in edgewise which was unheard of for Seth. It seemed to him, watching them, that Marissa and Summer had somehow found a way to turn the clock back. Anyone that walked in would think they were still in high school the way they were carrying on. He couldn't help but laugh at them. Little Miss Vixen and Cosmo Girl were alive and well.

As 8 approached he noticed that Marissa started to get a bit edgy. She kept looking at the clock and at the door obviously waiting for Ryan to arrive. She tried to keep the conversation going but it was obvious she had become preoccupied waiting for the door bell to go announcing his arrival.

At 8:30, Summer was just debating whether to call Ryan to find out what was keeping him, when they got a call from Annabel, his secretary, informing them that Ryan had been held up and that they should start without him. He would join them as soon as he could get away. They held on till 9 but then decided to eat as everyone was starting to get hungry plus the wine had gone straight to their heads so food was definitely in order. The girls gave Seth instructions to serve because he'd had the least to drink; hence he was probably less likely to fall over plus it meant the girls didn't have to move.

At 10:30 there was still no sign of Ryan, and Marissa thought she should probably go home. He obviously wasn't coming. She got up to go to the bathroom only to find she had a bit of a sway going. She had obviously had more to drink than she thought and she misjudged the edge of the table and ran into it with a loud thud.

"Ow!" she exclaimed looking down to survey the damage.

"That's going to leave a mark" Seth added.

"Thanks for that Seth. It really helps" Marissa replied.

"Do you want some ice?" Summer asked but then started to giggle. She couldn't help herself. "I mean for your leg not for another drink…..Sorry for laughing. I just realised we are all a little under the weather." She chuckled. "If we have hangovers tomorrow, Ryan will never hear the end of this."

"Ugh. I don't think I can imagine facing up to Jake with a hangover. He is bad enough when I am sober." Marissa giggled "but I really better get going. It'll still be an hour or more before I can get back to the hotel and to bed."

"Why don't you stay? Then we can just go to work together tomorrow. I'm sure I have some clothes that you can borrow or you can just wear the other outfit you bought. It'll be like one of our old sleepovers…. only Seth will be here." Summer suggested looking at him and frowning as if he somehow would spoil it for them.

"You say that in a bad way but surely I add a dimension to a sleepover that you could only have dreamed about back in high school?" Seth stated.

They all laughed together.

"If you're sure that it's all right, I'd love too." Marissa replied.

"Great. Just follow me and we'll get you sorted out." Summer said as she rose from the couch feeling a bit wobbly as she got to her legs. "Actually a big glass of water might be a good idea before we go to bed and maybe a couple of Advil's as well."

They stopped past the kitchen for the painkillers and the water and Marissa looked sadly at Summer. "Do you think he stayed away just because he knew I was here?"

"No. He probably just got held up with work. He is a busy man you know." Summer added trying to reassure Marissa.

"Does he often not show for these dinners?"

"Well. Not recently." Summer didn't want to admit that this was the first time Ryan had let them down and not turned up when they had been expecting him.

"I'm scared that he is avoiding me. I know he has moved on and I'm nothing special to him anymore but I was at least hoping we could still be friends." Marissa added looking sadly at Summer. "I don't want to upset his life. Maybe I should just keep away. I told you he didn't seem to want to talk to me when I saw him."

"I think you are just overreacting. Let's just wait and see what held him up. Go to bed. It will all seem better in the morning. Well maybe not our heads but everything else." Summer smiled and tried to brighten up for Marissa.

---

After saying good night to Marissa, Summer walked into her bedroom and turned to Seth who was already in bed. "That boy has some answering to do. You know she has decided that he is avoiding her and she figures she should just stay away from us because she doesn't want to cause any problems between him and us."

"Maybe that's a good idea" Seth added still not sure what this was all about. He liked the way his life was going before Marissa came back. He didn't know if they needed the complications she seemed to bring with her. Although he also knew that she was probably the only female that may be able to get through the wall that Ryan had built around himself.

"I can't believe you said that. I for one am having a great time with her here and I intend to see as much of her as possible before she has to disappear again. So if that boy wants to see me at all in the next couple of months, he is just going to have to get over himself and learn to cope with her being around and you better let him know it, because if it's left up to me I totally think I will rage blackout on him."

"Okay, okay. I'll have a talk to him tomorrow." Seth said looking at Summer who was still staring at him.

"First thing. I promise." Seth added.

---


	7. The apology

The next morning Summer and Marissa arrived at work a little worse for wear only to be greeted by Jake standing arms crossed in front of Marissa's dressing room.

"And just where were you last night?" he demanded. He had made plans for them and he was getting tied of not getting his own way.

"It's not really any of your business, but I stayed at Summer's. Since when do I need permission to see my friends?" Marissa replied thinking she'd had just about enough of him.

Oops, he could tell that maybe he had overstepped the mark here. However, he wasn't used to getting the run around. "I waited breakfast for you and then tried calling over and over to see if you needed a lift to work". He didn't bother to tell her that he had ordered a special candlelit dinner for them both in his room last night that ended up going to waste when he couldn't track her down. "I really think you should give me your cell phone number so this doesn't happen again".

"There's really no point because I rarely have it with me." she kept her fingers crossed behind her back as she lied to him. The last thing she needed was for him to have her number. She didn't want him annoying her anymore than he already did. "I need to go and get ready. See you Sum." And she walked into her dressing room and closed the door behind her.

As Summer started to walk off, Jake looked her over and then stopped her. "Summer."

"Yeah." She turned to look at him.

"Are you still going out with that weird, geeky guy?" Jake asked.

"If you mean Seth, then yes." Summer replied, wishing she had made a quick getaway and wasn't here having this conversation.

"Will he be coming to cast drinks tomorrow night?"

"Probably. Why?"

"Pity. I was just imagining you, me and Marissa in a three way" he suggested, raising his eyebrows as he spoke. "It could be very enjoyable."

As if Summer didn't feel bad enough already with her hangover, the mere thought of it made her upchuck reflex twitch and she knew she had to get to the bathroom in a hurry.

As she flew down the hall, Jake just shrugged his shoulders and muttered to himself "Strange girl that one. Looks like Marissa will have to be enough. She better be ready for a workout cause my little man hasn't seen any action for a while and I'm planning on fixing that. Tomorrow after I get her plied at cast drinks she won't be able to resist me".

---

Seth walked out of the lift and walked up to the immaculate desk in front of him.

The beautiful redhead behind the desk looked up and smiled. "Good morning Mr Cohen. How may I help you?"

"Annabel, I've told you before Mr Cohen is my father. Please call me Seth."

"Yes sir. I mean Seth."

"Is he in?"

"Yes. I'll just let him know you're here."

"Don't bother. Even though he pretends he doesn't like my surprise drop ins, he really does. I'll just see myself through."

Seth opened the connecting door and Ryan looked up and quickly put down the paper he was reading. As he did he looked down and then reached over and folded it closed so you couldn't see what he had been looking at.

"Hey bro" Seth smiled at still being able to surprise Ryan after all these years.

"Seth. I should have guessed. To what do I owe this honour? It's a little early for your standard office drop in." Ryan stated." You know the fresh muffins don't arrive til ten."

"Yeah. But I promised Summer I would come and see you first thing and 'She Who Must Be Obeyed' kicked me out of home when they were leaving for the studio."

"Who they?" Ryan puzzled.

"Little Miss Vixen and Cosmo Girl."

"What Marissa stayed the night?"

"Yeah. Turns out we were all a little tipsy from drinking too much wine while waiting for a certain someone that didn't show."

"Sorry about that. I had some VIP's here that I just couldn't get rid of. They were trying to get me to take on a new project. I was going to call Summer later and apologise."

"Well you better make it a good one cause she's not very happy with you, you are definitely not on top of her Chrismukkah list. I mean RB was mentioned."

"I didn't think it would be that big a deal….and what the hell is RB?" Ryan asked.

"RAGE BLACKOUT. I warn you, just be prepared to get your ear chewed out, big time." Seth stated while picking up the newspaper that Ryan had folded over. On the page that Ryan was trying to hide was a photo of Marissa and Jake walking in to the hotel. Marissa was looking straight ahead and Jake was looking lovingly at her.

"So…" Seth said as he looked down at the photo.

"So what?" Ryan replied.

"Do you think there is anything going on between the two of them? Even I have to admit he's a pretty good looking guy – even though he is a creep."

"Nuh. I saw Marissa give him a put down the other day. I think she knows how to handle herself. I'm sure her asshole radar has had plenty of work out with the people in her industry."

"Okay so if that's the case then when are you going to make a move?" Seth enquired.

"What are you talking about?" Ryan replied.

"On Marissa, man. Don't try to pretend that you aren't still hung up on her. It's sooo obvious."

"Great – just what I needed to hear. Not that it matters anyway. As if she would ever be interested in someone like me, when she could have anyone she wants. I mean look at her man – she is absolutely perfect what chance would I have." Ryan replied looking disappointed as he spoke.

"Well from what Summer tells me, and from the way she was acting last night I'd say every chance, she is very interested but she thinks you are avoiding her. She said if you really didn't want to see her then she would just stay away. Is that what you want? One of you is going to have to take the first step or you will never get together."

"I'm just scared. I mean you know I really like this girl but if I try to make a move and she knocks me back then ………., I've barely recovered from last time – I don't know if I am prepared to risk getting hurt like that again. It didn't turn out too well before." Ryan stated looking at the photo again.

"Well for one thing that was 7 years ago and I think you have both changed a bit since then. You can tell from the way she looks when she is talking about you, that she maybe has some regrets about before. And number 2 what have you got to lose – I mean think what you may be missing out on."

" Hmm. I'll think about it, but even if I wanted to do something it is just so hard. There are always so many people around watching. How do you try to start something off when you are always surrounded by lots of other people taking way to much interest in what you are doing. I mean I can't even take her out to a restaurant without there being lots of people around asking for autographs and photos either of her or of me."

"Well maybe you need to think of a way you can be alone with her and then see if the chemistry is still there". Seth suggested. "And I wouldn't wait too long. I mean even if she isn't interested in Jake, a girl like that is going to attract a lot of interest. Don't leave it too long or someone else might make a move on her."

"I'll think about it. Okay…… Now go and let me get some work done and I promise I'll ring Summer and beg forgiveness."

"Okay see ya…and Good Luck .. You're gonna need it… Ho hum my work here is done." Seth sang as he closed the door behind him.

---

Ryan picked up his phone and dialled Summer's number.

"Yeah I'm waiting?" she answered knowing it was Ryan.

"Summer I'm so, so sorry. Would flowers make it better?" Ryan smiled. He knew Summer couldn't stay angry for long.

"No. They wouldn't. Not unless you were sending them to Marissa."

"Why would I send flowers to Marissa?"

"Because she's the one who was most upset about you not turning up. Your apology would be better directed to her. Tell me truthfully, were you really busy or did you just not want to see her?"

"I really was tied up at work. You can ask Annabel. She was here as well."

"I'm sure she was. I bet that made her day."

"Summer…….."

"What Ryan? You must be blind to not realise that girl is completely infatuated with you. But right now I'm more concerned about what my friend feels for you and how you are hurting her."

"It was nothing about her personally, it was just work."

"Yeah well I'll give you her number and you can try and convince her of that."

"Do I really need to? I can't believe she really cared one way or the other." Ryan stated trying to avoid having to talk to Marissa.

"Well for what ever reason she does care and you owe her an apology."

"But surely you could just tell her. She'd believe it if it came from you."

"No way boy. You're on your own for this one. And you'd better do it and soon or you can forget me cooking dinner for you ever again."

"I really can't talk you out of it?"

"Nope. As Mr Nike would say JUST DO IT OR ELSE. Actually I added the last bit but you know what I mean."

"Yeah. Okay give me her number and I'll call her….. but I'm sure you're making way too much out of this. I'm sure she couldn't care less."

---

Marissa reached for her phone but didn't recognise the number. Scared that Jake might have some how got her number she answered hesitantly.

"Hello"

"Marissa?"

"Ryan?"

"Uh yeah. I hope you don't mind me calling you at work."

"No. Its fine I just….. didn't know you had my number."

"Um …. Summer gave it to me. I hope that's alright?"

"Yeah sure." She hesitated wondering what he had called for.

"I um… just wanted to apologise for not turning up last night. Something came up at work and I couldn't get away."

"That's okay…… It was just……I was just… worried that you may have stayed away because I was there." Figuring she may as well know one way or the other if she was the real reason.

"No nothing like that. It was just by the time I got away, I figured it was too late to drop by or though I gather you partied on without me."

"Yeah. I'm feeling a little worse for wear because of it."

"Well I don't want to hold you up but I just want to say sorry and I will catch up with you sometime. I promise I'll make it up to you."

"Okay. I'll look forward to it".

Ryan put the phone back down and continued to stare at the photo in front of him. Was she really looking forward to seeing him? He doubted it, but she had sounded genuine. He sat thinking of what he should do.

Ryan knew the reason he was having trouble concentrating on work at the moment was because he kept thinking about her so he guessed he needed to at least try to see if there was still any feeling left between them. If there wasn't then maybe he could just put any thought of her behind him and move on, once and for all. He thought back to Seth's advice about trying to be alone with her and wondered how he could make that happen and he had to work out if he could even get up the nerve to ask her to go out with him in the first place. He turned to his laptop and checked his schedule for the next couple of days then picked up his phone.

"Annabel. Could you reschedule my 4 o'clock meeting tomorrow afternoon until sometime next week. Something else has come up."

"Certainly Ryan. I'll do it straight away." Annabel replied thinking it was very unlike Ryan to cancel a meeting. She wondered what could possibly be more important than work.

---

Late Friday afternoon Ryan decided to stop by the set of "Fashion Victim". Sometimes it came in handy that he had security clearance for the whole studio lot. He walked in the back of the set and instantly noticed Marissa rehearsing. Ryan continued to watch as Marissa finished her scene. He couldn't take his eyes off her as he let his mind wander trying to think of ideas of what he could do to try to find out if there really was a chance for the two of them.

Seth walked up behind Ryan "Hey man."

"Hi. What are you doing here?" Ryan asked surprised to see him.

"Just filling in time waiting for Summer, but more importantly what are YOU doing here?" Seth smiled waiting for an answer he already knew.

"I was just in the neighbourhood and thought I would drop past and try to make amends for the other night."

"In the neighbourhood hey…I don't think I believe you but I'll let it slide." Seth smiled as he looked at Ryan watching Marissa's every move.

Marissa had noticed Ryan and Seth standing chatting as she practised her next scene. She had been hoping after their conversation yesterday that Ryan might want to ask her out this weekend or at least spend some time with her but she had started to think that it was just wishful thinking. Summer had tried to convince her that he wasn't avoiding her. She knew he was fairly shy and that he didn't date much, so she didn't know if anything would ever happen. She wished she was one of those girls that could make the first move but she really cared about him and she was scared that if she did and he knocked her back then she didn't know if she would recover so maybe it was better to just leave it to remain as "friends". She finished the scene and made her way to her dressing room.

He watched her walk away and decided it was now or never. If he thought about it for too long he would chicken out so he said his good byes to Seth, made his way to her dressing room and knocked softly on the door.

"Come in" Marissa replied and was surprised when Ryan slowly entered the room and closed the door behind him.

"Uh Hi! " was all he could get out once he took a look at her – she always seemed to take his breathe away making it even more difficult for him to talk to her. He really needed to pull himself together or this would be over before it even began.

"Hi' Marissa replied happily; wondering what he was doing here. "Looking forward to the weekend?"

"Um yeah sure but I was wondering if you were busy tonight or not?" he managed to get out.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked.

"Well maybe we could get a drink if you've finished for the day or a meal….. whatever you're feeling up for. I wanted to apologise for Wednesday night and thought maybe we could catch up now …… but if you have other things planned then that's okay…..I was in the area and just thought I'd check" he said while keeping an eye on her for her reaction, scared that she would be looking for a nice way to tell him no.

She knew the cast were getting together for drinks and she really should go with them "Uuh …I." she stammered.

He noticed her hesitation and could feel the half smile on his face start to fade. Thinking to himself that he was right the first time – she really didn't want to spend time with him. "Look its okay if you don't want to. It's no big deal." He turned to make his way to the door.

"No. Don't go. I'd love to come with you….. I just have to get out of something else first." She had missed him too much and for too long to miss the opportunity to spend time with him. She would much rather go with Ryan than hang around with the rest of the cast. She started to wonder if this was a platonic "friend " type request or maybe something more …. but she wasn't sure how she could tell.

"Uh sure - Is it just us or are other people going as well?" Marissa asked.

"Well I can ask Seth and Summer if you like, but …."

"No. I mean if you haven't asked them yet then lets just make it the two of us – I've managed to see plenty of them this week and I'm sure they'd like to spend some time alone. " Marissa replied quickly her mind already thinking of the possibilities.

"That's great" he said barely able to keep the smile off his face. "So when do you want to go?"

"Um are we talking dinner or just a drink?"

"Whatever you'd prefer" he said. Little did he know that all sorts of things ran through her mind but spending time with him was definitely at the top of her preferences.

"Well, it's just, if it's dinner then I really should go back to the hotel and change but if we are just going for a drink and jeans are okay then I could be ready in about 10 minutes – I just need to get cleaned up and get this gunk off my face and I'll be ready. And I need to make a call to let someone know about my change of plans."

"Sounds great. How about we start with the drink and you can always go and change if you want to go further." he added as he turned and made his way back to the door.

"I definitely want to go further" she muttered and then looked at him wondering if he had heard her. I mean she may have been thinking it but how did it come out of her mouth.

"Please feel free." he replied as he felt himself go a shade of pink as he closed the door. All he could think of as he walked away from her dressing room was… did she really say that. I mean was she just pulling his leg or is there really a chance for them?

---


	8. Ryan and Marissa catch up

_Thanks for the reviews. They really do help to keep me motivated._

----

Marissa grabbed her phone and called Summer.

"Hey there girlfriend. How long until you're ready to go?" Summer asked.

"Um…yeah about that…..I was wondering …. Would it be a big deal if I didn't come?"

"What do you mean not come? Everyone's going. It's sort of expected. You know, so that we all get to know one another and work as a 'team'….Why?... What's the problem?"

"No problem…It's just…... I've had a better offer." Marissa said shyly.

"It's not with Jake is it? I forgot to tell you that he suggested yesterday that we might like to have a three way with him tonight. I sort of forgot to mention it to you because the mere thought of it sent me running to the bathroom and I've tried to block it out of my mind ever since."

"Ugh…I wish you'd never told me. No offence to you but that will never happen."

"I'm with you. Hang on…This better offer…..it's not with Ryan is it?" Summer asked.

"Maybe." Marissa smiled to herself imagining the look on Summer's face.

"Whoa….Seth said he saw him before, but we figured he had left…You know I'm sure you could just bring him along… if you wanted to?"

"Well… I sort of thought it might be good if we just caught up alone…you know without the audience."

"Yeah okay….So what are you two doing?"

"I don't know really but he suggested we start with a drink and then who knows, maybe we'll get something to eat."

"Yeah. Well we both know that you'd like to eat Chino…." Summer replied suggestively.

"Summer! We've barely said two words to each other in years. Nothing like that is going to happen."

"Maybe… I just think I know how you feel about him and there is no doubt that he has never gotten over you completely, so….. just go for it and see if you can work out what feelings he has left for you. And don't worry about cast drinks, I'll cover for you. I'll tell them grandmother died or something. You just go and have a good time."

"Thanks, Summer. I'll talk to you later."

"You'd better. I want to know everything that happens."

---

A short time later Marissa emerged from her dressing room and went to find him. She couldn't believe how nervous she was. He was waiting near the coffee machine and when he looked up she felt her heart in her mouth. How could he still do that to her after all these years she wondered.

"Ready?" he smiled as he looked at her.

"Um...If this'll do?" she replied indicating she wasn't sure if what she was wearing was appropriate for what he had in mind.

He looked her up and down. "You're perfect…Um I mean you look perfect…Ah...I mean what your wearing is perfect." He stammered thinking to himself – great - he now sounds like an 8 year old.

Marissa smiled at his comment. It made her feel more at ease knowing he was obviously nervous too. "So where are we off to?" she asked.

"Well there is a wine bar just across the road from the studio that a lot of the actors drink at. I thought if we went there, then we won't stand out. It's sure to be packed on a Friday night so maybe we will just blend in with the crowd. If that's okay with you?"

"Sure." Marissa shrugged "..lead the way."

---

A short time later they entered the bar which was indeed crowded. Ryan placed his hand on Marissa's back to guide her through the crowd and to an empty booth at the back. He couldn't help but smile as he realised that even with this small touch he could still feel the sparks fly and from her reaction so could she.

"You just sit there and I'll go and get us some drinks. What would you like?"

"What ever you're having is fine with me." She smiled wondering whether her shirt was singed in the back from where his hand had rested.

Ryan made his way to the crowded bar and had just placed his order when he recognised the owner of the studio coming towards him.

"Ryan. I don't believe I have ever seen you drinking here before. Great to see you. Come and join me."

"Thanks J.B. but I'm here with a friend."

"Bring them too. The drinks are on me. I'm sure the studio owe you a few, for the pickles you've got us out of." J.B. chuckled.

"That's very nice of you to offer but maybe some other time."

"Nonsense. Why would you want to knock back free drinks?" J.B. asked as he watched Ryan glance over at a table behind him. J.B. turned and saw Marissa smiling, obviously waiting for Ryan.

"Oh...I see...I'd knock back free drinks to if I could get Marissa Cooper to look at me like that." He laughed.

"It's nothing like that J.B. She's an old school friend and we are just catching up." Ryan explained.

"Sure…I believe you….And I also know you are not stupid, quite the opposite in fact, but if you don't go after that one then I will have to re-evaluate my estimation of you. She is quite some looker."

"Yeah…she is … and thanks for the offer, but maybe some other time" Ryan replied as he paid for his drinks.

He made his way back to the booth and sat down.

"Wasn't that J.B. Connell you were talking to?" she asked.

"Yeah. He asked us to join him…if you want?"

"What did you say?"

"I told him some other time. I didn't think we'd get a chance to talk at all if we were with him. He's a nice guy and all … but used to getting his own way and he sort of takes over any conversation. But if you'd like to meet him that's fine. I hadn't thought about it, but he is probably a very important contact for you as an actor."

"No I'm fine. I'm happy here … with you. If I'm any good as an actor then I'm sure I'll get to meet him eventually. Tonight is for us." She smiled as she sipped her wine and looked at Ryan over the top of the glass.

"Hope you like it?" he asked. "I guess you are used to lots of French wines now?"

"No. I don't drink very much. Mum wouldn't let me. Bad for the complexion you know. She wouldn't have been very happy with me after Wednesday night."

"Yeah. Sorry about that. I hope the hangover wasn't too bad?"

"Nuh. But I don't think I want to do that again in a hurry."

Just then the band started up and they could barely hear one another. They attempted to talk and continue the conversation but after about 10 minutes Ryan leant over to Marissa's ear and said "What about we get out of here?"

"Great idea." She mouthed and they got up and worked their way back through the crowd and out the front door.

"Whoa. Sorry about that. Not exactly conducive to conversation in there." He smiled.

"No. It was a little difficult to hear. Actually I think my ears are still ringing" she replied.

"So what now? Are you hungry?" Ryan asked.

"Sure. When have you ever known me not to be hungry?"

Ryan smiled. "True. So are you up for dinner or would you just like me to drop you off at the hotel?"

"Well I have to eat and I have had a few dinners on my own this week and they're not much fun so if you wouldn't mind the company I'd love to have dinner with you."

They crossed the road and stopped in front of a black Mercedes convertible. Ryan opened the door for Marissa to get in. "Okay. Well how about I drop you off at your hotel to get changed and I'll go and do the same and pick you up in about an hour. Think you can be ready by then?"

"I can be ready in half that. One of the things I have learnt in the last 7 years is how to get ready quickly. You have no idea how fast you need to change when you are working a catwalk."

"Yeah...I don't have much experience with catwalk walking or working or whatever it is" he laughed as Marissa lent over and gave him a playful whack.

"Don't make fun of me Mr. I Can Design Anything."

"Oh... cheeky hey?" he laughed.

---

They made their way to Marissa's hotel but as Ryan slowed to turn into the drop off area he noticed the hoard of photographers waiting at the door. He changed his mind and drove on.

"Are they usually there?" he asked as he started to drive around the block, thinking maybe he was just over-reacting. Maybe they were waiting for someone else.

"Well. There's is often one or two but nothing like that…. You don't think they were after photos of us do you?"

"I'm not sure but I do know if we go back there it will be good bye to any thought of a quiet night plus we will definitely end up on the front page of the paper tomorrow – baring natural disasters, or terrorist attacks of course. But I don't know, maybe the publicity is good for you? I mean do you want to go back?" he asked thinking maybe she liked all the attention that followed from being famous.

"No. I just want to spend the night with you." She replied and then realised how that sounded "I mean not with you…well with you but just not with lots of other people around, you know spend quality time with you, without all the attention of other people." She looked over at him feeling her cheeks flush. "Am I making sense?" she laughed. For some reason she felt that he was testing her and she couldn't help wonder if she had passed or not.

"Sure." he smiled and gave her his trademark half grin. Luckily she was sitting down because it still made her go weak at the knees.

He couldn't help but be pleased that she didn't seem to be an attention grabbing female. A few of the girls he had attempted to date a while ago all seemed to want to use him to get their photos on the Who's Who type pages and that was definitely not him. "Okay. So it looks like a restaurant is out. How do you feel about pizza at my place? … Unless you know of a back way into the hotel?"

"I don't think there is one or at least I haven't been able to find it, but pizza at your place sounds great."

Ryan turned the car around and started to make his way back to his penthouse.

"You must live near Seth and Summer, they are just near here aren't they?" Marissa asked as she noticed where they were headed.

"Yeah. We're actually in the same building. I just have the top floor. It's good and bad. It makes it easy if I run out of milk to have someone to borrow from but it also means Seth can still occasionally wake me up much too early in the morning looking for Seth/Ryan time." He laughed. "Although it doesn't happen nearly as often as it used to."

"I guess he's got Summer to keep him amused now." She suggested.

"Yeah. They really seem to have something special." He added, wondering if that would ever happen to him.

They drove on to Ryan's building only to find the paparazzi camped out there as well. So Ryan just kept on driving.

"Someone at the bar must have tipped them off. They usually leave me alone at home now. I've become too boring for them, so it's very unusual for them to be waiting here."

"So what now? We starve to death?"

"Well just how hungry are you?" Ryan asked as an idea came into his head.

"What do you mean?"

"Well if you can last an hour, we could drive down to Newport. At least my house is in a gated community so they can't follow us in but you'll have to make do with either take away or my cooking?"

"That sounds great. I'd love to see Newport again and I'm sure I can last that long for food. Your cooking is edible isn't it?" Marissa asked.

"You'll just have to wait and see….." He smiled as he merged onto the freeway.

---

Meanwhile at another bar near the studio, Jake was getting tied waiting for Marissa. He made his way to Summer and Seth.

"Hey Summer. Where's your friend?"

"Seth's right here Jake. Do you need him for something?" she asked innocently knowing full well who he was looking for.

"Not him. Marissa." He demanded not seeing the humour in her playing dumb.

"I don't know. Maybe she had a better offer." Summer raised her eyebrows at him enjoying the fact that Marissa was obviously not fitting in with Jake's plans.

"Don't be ridiculous. From who? She doesn't know anybody here. She's been living in Europe for years." he demanded getting angry.

"You forget she actually lived near here for quite a while before she moved to Europe. Perhaps she has met up with a long lost love." Summer smiled knowing just the thought of this would upset Jake.

"Well if she doesn't hurry up, I can't promise that I'll be waiting for her. I've spent too much time this week chasing after her." Jake turned and walked off in a huff. Things just weren't going his way. He decided he'd give her 15 minutes more and if she didn't turn up he'd just have to find some other random to give his little man a work out tonight. He frowned. Marissa Cooper would keep.

---

As Ryan cruised along the freeway he couldn't help but think back, wondering what had ever gone wrong between them. It would be so easy to fall in love with her again. Hell if he was truthful with himself, a part of him had never stopped. But he also knew that he wasn't the same person any more. She had broken his heart once and he was no masochist, he wasn't going to let that happen again. There was no denying that he was still attracted to her but it was as if he felt he needed to keep his heart locked away. She was the only woman he had ever met that could get to him on that level, but he also knew that another wounding from her could be fatal. He wasn't going to let that happen. He would enjoy her company while she was here and then just say good-bye when she left in a couple of month's time. Or at least that was what he was telling himself. Still he couldn't stop himself smiling and when he glanced over at her he noticed she was smiling too.

"What?" he asked as he noticed the look on her face.

"Nothing, I'm just enjoying the ride…It's a beautiful car."

"Yeah I like it. I don't do a lot of miles in it, but for times like this - driving to Newport up and down the freeway, it is hard to beat."

"Promise you won't laugh if I tell you something."

"Sure?"

"I haven't driven since I left Newport."

"What. How can that be?"

"Well when we were in New York, we didn't have a car and by the time I could afford one I was living and working in Europe and it's almost impossible to find parking spots or places to garage them plus there were always cars and drivers supplied with the jobs so I just didn't need one. But being back in LA I realise just how much a part of life they are here. It's hard to manage living without one."

"Well you're welcome to use this if you'd like while you're here. I've got a Range Rover as well that I use for work, if I have to go to site, so I can just drive it."

"No. Thanks for the offer. But if I need one I can always hire one and anyhow right now I'm just enjoying being driven and admiring the scenery." She smiled looking at him shyly.

"Okay. But keep it in mind. It would be no problem."

"Thanks." She looked out the window at the passing scenery thinking about how perfect he was. She wished the night would never end…..

---


	9. Marissa visits the Newport house

It was dark by the time they reached his house in Newport. Ryan opened the door and stepped aside for Marissa to enter first. She walked in the door and stopped dead. It was perfect. Cosy furnishings all around She felt at home as soon as she entered. Not at all what she was used to. Everything that Julie touched was glitz and glamour. Looking around Ryan's home she knew that the feel of this house was not accidental. It was exactly how he wanted it – it was beautiful and yet it felt like home as soon as you walked through the door.

He led her into the lounge and told her to make herself comfortable while he went and ordered the pizzas.

"What about you're cooking for me?" she teased.

"Maybe another night. I don't want to scare you off on the first night, you might never come back." He laughed "Are you still a pepperoni fan or is there something else you would prefer?"

"No I haven't changed." She added thinking that was true in more ways than one. She knew that the attraction she felt for him in high school had not gone. If anything it was stronger than ever. But she didn't know if he felt the same way. Still she was happy that he didn't seem to think that this was a one off. He'd just indicated that he would want to see her again and cook for her and she was already looking forward to that.

Ryan ordered the pizzas and opened a bottle of wine. He picked up two glasses and the bottle and made his way over to join her. He hesitated not sure where to sit. There was plenty of room beside her or maybe he should just sit in one of the armchairs. He picked up the remote and turned the fire on low, more for the scenery than the heat and then placed the glasses on the coffee table and filled them. Picking them up he turned to her and handed her one and then stopped unsure of where to sit.

Marissa noticed his hesitation and wasn't sure whether he was just being considerate in giving her plenty of space, (much more than she wanted) or whether he maybe wanted to keep his distance and she realised that this was the perfect opportunity to give him a little encouragement and try to see if he was interested in her as more than a friend or not.

"Why don't you sit beside me, I promise not to bite." She said with a big grin on her face.

"Maybe I was hoping that you would." He smiled looking at her as he sat down leaving plenty of room between them.

"That can be arranged." she replied, laughing to try to lighten the moment as he relaxed back against the soft cushions.

Just then her phone started to ring and it managed to break the awkward moment between them. She looked at the display and answered.

"Hey Summer what's up?" she asked, all the time watching Ryan as he continued to sip his wine while watching her.

"Just wondering how things went?"

"Yeah good."

"That really paints a picture but I can wait. I want a blow by blow recount tomorrow. By the way Jake wasn't too impressed that you weren't at cast drinks I'm telling you he has a real thing for you so just watch out."

"Okay but I'm sure you're overreacting." Marissa stated.

"Maybe but I don't think so. Anyhow, I was wondering if you wanted to do something tomorrow night? Seth and I thought we might go to a new club that's just opened downtown."

"Uh. Thanks for the invite but …..."

Before she had a chance to finish Summer said "I know, I know. You try to avoid those sorts of things because you get mobbed. But it is an A-list club. There should be heaps of security and it is invitation only. We managed to wangle a couple of invites through the studio. Although I'm sure you could get in without any trouble. And, Seth was going to see if Ryan might like to come too, so maybe you two could 'chat' some more" Summer smiled as she mentioned Ryan's name knowing that it would get Marissa's interest..

Marissa smiled, obviously Summer and Seth had no idea that they were still together.

"It sounds good Summer but um ….Can I get back to you tomorrow? I'm a bit busy at the moment. I'll call you in the morning". Marissa said wanting to end the call as soon as possible.

"Hang on. Why the big rush? ..…..You're not still with him are you?" Summer asked.

"Um Yeah. Gotta go." And she hung up.

"Summer?" Ryan asked as she closed up her phone and turned it off, not wanting to be interrupted again.

"Yeah. She and Seth wanted us, I mean you and I, not 'us', cause there isn't an 'us', is there, um to go to a club with them tomorrow night." She finally managed to get out.

"Do you want there to be an 'us'?" Ryan asked looking at her and holding his breathe as he waited for her reply.

"Do you?" she asked scared to be the first to verbalise what was actually happening here.

"Well….. I'd like to give it a go…….if you'd like to that is…….I mean we don't have to …we can just stay 'friends' if you'd rather… I mean I know we've tried before and it was a long time ago but if you'd like to give it another go ……..well I'm game if you are… I mean maybe we could just take it really slow and see what happens" he said. He knew he was rambling but his brain seemed to have ceased to function. If any of the people who worked for him had heard that sentence they would have died of shock he was usually so decisive and exact about everything he did but she seemed to send his brain into mush.

"Really slow sounds good…… because all I know for sure is ... that right now, I'd rather be here with you than anywhere else in the world."

He looked deep into her eyes and it seemed that the world stood still. He could see his own hesitation reflected in her eyes. There was no doubt the attraction was still there but they had both been hurt and neither wanted to go through that pain again…...

Just then the door bell rang.

"That'll be the pizza. I'll be back in a minute."

---

He returned with the pizzas and they sat there for a few hours eating, drinking and talking easily. What was strange was that the conversation was mostly about current events. It was as if they had silently agreed that if they were going to take this slow then they didn't want to talk about anything personal that may have the potential to hurt them.

But it was actually good. It wasn't a conversation they would ever have had at high school. They were mature adults now with some, worldly experience and it showed they were the same but different. They both had a different dimension to them than when they knew one another before. Time flew and it was getting late but neither one had noticed the passage of time until Ryan went to refill Marissa's wine glass and the bottle was empty.

"Shall I open another?" Ryan asked.

"Only if you are going to join me. It's no fun drinking alone."

"I'd better not or I won't be in any fit state to drive you back to the hotel."

Marissa looked at her watch "Sorry, I didn't realise how late it had got. I guess you should take me back now or you won't get any sleep."

"Yeah It's pretty late or early really, already….. You know, you could always stay the night? I've got plenty of spare rooms and then I can just drive you back in the morning."

"Sure. If that's okay with you, sounds great to me. I'd much rather stay here than in the hotel. I've seen enough of them in the past few years to keep me going for the rest of my life."

"Okay. So if that's the case, do you want me to open that other bottle of wine or are you ready for bed?"

"Actually what I'd really like is a shower if I could. I feel a bit icky. I didn't get a chance to have one earlier what with all the dramas with the paparazzi. Maybe we could finish our conversation in the morning?"

"Sure. Come on and I'll show you to your room."

---

Ryan led Marissa up the stairs and turned left. He stopped at the first door and opened it, turned the light on and stood back for her to enter.

"Will this one do?" he asked.

"It looks great." She said looking around the room. "Thanks. "

"No problem. There's an adjoining bathroom and there should be towels and everything in there. If you need anything else just let me know."

"Okay. I'm sure I'll be fine. Thanks, I'll see you in the morning."

"Sure" he smiled and turned and closed the door behind him and made his way downstairs to finish up.

---

Marissa quickly stripped off her clothes and made her way into the shower. While she was in there she rinsed out her underwear and her blouse and hung them over the shower to dry so that she could wear them again tomorrow. She couldn't help but smile to herself thinking back over the way the evening had gone and what was even better was that she would get to see him again tomorrow. Maybe she would have to thank the paparazzi after this, because without them they wouldn't have ended up here together. She felt like a little girl the night before Christmas. She was just excited about what tomorrow might bring.

She felt they had made some huge strides tonight in trying to get their friendship back. But was friendship all it would ever be? They both obviously still had some reservations, so it would be good to spend some more time together and see if there was any chance of building on the obvious attraction they still had for one another.

---

When Ryan had finished downstairs he locked up and then made his way back upstairs. He hesitated at the top of the stairs and glanced at the thin strip of light coming from under Marissa's closed door. He realised he could hear the sound of the shower going. His imagination ran wild thinking of Marissa naked, with the water running over her body. He reached down and rubbed his groin as he felt the stiffening in his pants. Shaking his head to try to rid himself of the image he turned in the opposite direction and made his way to the end of the hall and opened the door to his bedroom. He turned on the bedside lamp and proceeded to strip off his clothes until he had just his boxers left on and he looked at the enormous hard on he had from just thinking about her. He thought about having a cold shower but from the ache in his groin he knew that tonight that would not be enough so he walked to the bedside table and got some lotion and a few tissues to try to find some relief the only way he knew how. He pushed his boxers down and closed his eyes allowing the image of Marissa in the shower to come back in to his mind as he started to use his hand to find some relief.

---

When Marissa had finished in the shower she wrapped one of the thick white towels around her and made her way back into the bedroom. She contemplated going to bed naked but decided that she would probably have trouble sleeping. She knew it was going to be hard enough already to get to sleep with Ryan on her mind but if she was naked it would make it almost impossible, so she decided to go and find Ryan and borrow some boxers and a t-shirt. She made sure the towel around her was firmly in place and then she opened her door and looked down the hall. The only light was coming from a room at the other end of the hallway. She walked towards the light, her footsteps muffled by the thick carpeting and as she got to the open doorway she looked inside and stopped dead at the sight in front of her.

She knew that she should turn and go back to her room before he realised she was there and yet her feet seem to be glued to the floor. She stood there and took in the vision in front of her of Ryan, eyes closed with just a pair of boxers pushed down, working his hand up and down his hardness.

She could barely breathe, her body aching to touch him. She knew he hadn't heard her yet and her brain was telling her to leave while she still had time but her body seemed to have taken over. She took a step towards him and entered the room. "Do you need a hand?" she laughed, trying to take some of the awkwardness away.

---

Ryan's eyes flew open and he stood there for a second trying to regain his senses. He went bright red and turned away as he realised what was happening. He quickly tried in vain to pull up his boxers and cover himself, but the elastic got caught on his now even larger erection. There was no way he could pretend that he was really doing something else. He wasn't sure what to say. There was no way to bluff his way out of this.

"Um.. What?... Sorry.. .NO." He said as some blood finally seemed to have returned to his brain and tongue from other parts of his body. "Um…. I'm fine" he had to laugh there wasn't much else he could do.

"Yes… you are…better than fine" Marissa smiled trying to lighten the moment.

"Don't look at me like that….. after all …… it is all your fault." He smiled while finally succeeding with pulling up his boxers. Not that it helped much with the tent pole still evident in them.

"I didn't know I could still have that affect on you." She smiled, slowly making her way towards him.

"You have always had that affect on me." He said staring at her and finding it almost impossible to breathe. Their eyes locked. Suddenly all the humour of a minute ago lost.

"Well then I think it's only fair that I help." She replied as she made her way over and turned and sat on the end of the bed. She grasped Ryan by the hand and pulled him towards her and then pushed his boxers to the floor.

"Riss you don't have to." he gasped as he felt her tongue start to work on him. "I was just j..o..k..ing. " he gasped as she took him in her mouth.

She pulled back "Ry I've been wanting to touch you for 7 years." She said resuming where she had left off.

He pulled back and gently tugged at the edge of the towel that was wrapped around her and as it fell easily onto the bed he gazed at her. She was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She looked up at him and he gently pushed her back on the bed and lay down beside her. She slid up and put her head on the pillows and he rolled over and reached for his bedside table to get a condom but Marissa grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Ry. You don't need one. I'm on the pill."

He looked at her deeply, a million questions still between them "Are you sure?"

"Sure I'm on the pill? Yeah." She smiled knowing that wasn't what he was getting at.

"No. Sure about what's going on here…. What we're about to do?"

"Uh huh ….." He saw her answer in her eyes and he lent forward to kiss her gently, their tongues stroking one another. He pulled back to look at her again scared that she may have been having second thoughts, not wanting to rush this, only to have her crash her lips into his. There was nothing gentle about this. It was as if they had been starving for one another. They couldn't get enough of each other. Their hands and tongues were everywhere. He started to kiss down her shoulders to her perfect breasts and as he was about to go lower he could feel Marissa grinding herself against him, her wetness seeking his hardness. She was urging him on and then stopped and gasped "Ryan… please…now… I need you."

He didn't need further encouragement and pulled back and entered her. He couldn't believe how good she felt. He had to stop for a moment to try to regain control. When he had regained some composure, he started to move within her. He started slowly but Marissa urged him on until his thrusts were hard and fast. Marissa met each one with an urgency of her own, lifting her hips to meet him until she could take no more and she cried out in release as Ryan finally let himself go and collapsed on top of her.

---

Minutes later after their breathing had returned to normal, Ryan moved to lay beside Marissa keeping an arm wrapped firmly around her not wanting to let her go.

She looked up at him and smiled "I really just wanted to borrow some clothes to sleep in because mine are wet."

"Well as it turns out you won't be needing any." he laughed.

---

He laid there holding her, almost unable to believe what had just happened. She was really there in his bed. He had dreamt of this so many times. He had never admitted to anyone, other than himself, that when he had built this house, he had let himself dream that he was building it for her.

"So much for really slow." He said as he lent and kissed her gently on the tip of her nose.

"We'll do it much slower next time." She added smiling and reached over and began to run her hands over him again.

"Wait." He grabbed her hand and stopped her. Something was troubling him and he didn't know how to ask her. Summer had told him that she didn't have anyone special in her life, like a boyfriend, but if that was the case why was she on the pill? When Julie had told him all that time ago that Marissa had moved on, he figured that meant she had found someone new and he had lost countless nights of sleep thinking about her with someone else. He didn't want to do that again. He couldn't do that again. It hurt too much. He knew if there was someone else then hard as it might be, he had to stop this now.

If there was ever going to be anything between them then they needed to communicate well and that was what they were trying to do last night, but they hadn't talked about anything personal. Maybe it was too early. He was just confused.

"What's wrong?" She started to panic. Maybe he hadn't wanted to do this at all. Maybe she'd misread the signals and he really did just want to be friends. Maybe she should have just gone back to her room while she still could have. Maybe ….

"It's just." He looked for a way to tell her what was troubling him.

"Ryan what is it? You're scaring me."

"Well Summer told me you don't have anyone special in your life. You know … a boyfriend or anything but if that's the case, well why are you on the pill?" he asked.

"Is that all?" She relaxed. "So you're not regretting what we just did?"

"No. Well, not unless I'm just another notch on your belt." He gave her a puzzled look.

"Relax. A couple of years ago, I had some problems with acne and the doctor prescribed the pill as a remedy. It works great. So, I have just stayed on it to make sure it doesn't come back."

"Acne hey?"

"Yep. It doesn't look too good on a model." Marissa stated. "Were you really worried that I may have had another man in my life?"

"Um. Yeah. Well. You are pretty gorgeous you know."

"Well you're not too bad yourself." She replied reaching over and running her hands over him again. She had dreamt about being able to touch him for years and she didn't know what tomorrow might bring but for right now, she was with him and she was going to make the most of it. She ran her hand slowly over his chest and abs and then reached lower surprised that he seemed ready to go again already. He looked at her and smiled. She said nothing just smiled back and lent over and kissed him, slipping her tongue inside his mouth, recalling just how much she enjoyed kissing him, their tongues entwining while their hands moved over one another's bodies…touching…feeling. She rolled on top of him and lifted herself up and then lowered herself onto him, moaning as she felt him enter her. He stroked her breasts and then used his hands on her hips to guide her. Slowly this time. They seemed to be totally attuned to one another and they reached a perfect rhythm rocking back and forth until they climaxed again. She fell asleep on top of him with him still inside her, his arms wrapped around her, cocooning her.


	10. What does it all mean?

_Thanks to those of you that are reading along. I have been writing this for a few months now so it's just a matter of posting a chunk when I get a chance. Let me know if you would like it slower or faster. Thanks. And I appreciate the reviews. It let's me know that some one is reading. _

**What does it all mean?**

She woke in the morning to a strange feeling and realised it was because he was still inside her. Sure he was soft but her walls had tightened around him as if they didn't want to let him go. She knew if she tried to move she would wake him so she just lay there and thought back over the night.

He stirred and realised that there was something heavy on him and then it all came back to him. He didn't want to wake her but as he lay there thinking about what had happened he could feel himself stiffening in his groin and knew that he would wake her up but he had no control. She was naked on top of him and he was still inside her. He figured he was in heaven. She smiled to herself as she felt him hardening inside her and she turned her head and raised herself just enough to look at him.

"Hey" he kissed her lightly.

"Hey yourself – I gather your looking for another round."

"What makes you think that?" he smiled realising he had no control over certain parts of his body.

"More something I felt than thought" she smiled back.

"Where did you feel it?" he smiled.

She moved her hips slightly side to side causing his eyes to almost pop out.

"If you keep that up you may end up getting more than you are bargaining for" he said as he kissed her more deeply.

"That's exactly what I was hoping you'd say." She added returning his kiss.

"Don't say I didn't warn you" he said in between kissing her and he proceeded to roll her over and finish what she had started.

---

They were lying in bed a short time later still cuddled up together when Marissa's stomach gave a growl.

They both laughed.

"Was that the alarm?" Ryan asked.

She playfully hit him. "You know very well what it was. Would you like me to take you out for breakfast? My treat."

"I'm not sure I ever want to move from this bed again" he said. "How long do you think we could last?"

"Well I'm not sure. We would get hungry first and then smelly. You do know we have worked up quite a sweat here and not just once." She smiled. "And then the sex would go off because a) we'd run out of energy and b) we'd wouldn't be able to get close enough to one another to even do it because we'd smell too bad."

"Yeah. I see your point. So what do you suggest?"

"Well why don't we have a shower and then get some food. We can always come back to bed later and you'll have more energy."

"Hmm. I like your idea but are you inferring I was low on energy."

"No not yet. But if you don't eat, then you will be by the time I've finished with you."

"Hmm. I like the sound of that." He said as he hopped out of the bed and extended his hand to her.

"Come on then. Shower first" he said looking her in the eye and making it quite obvious that they weren't likely to be eating for quite a while. He definitely had other ideas for getting hot and sweaty in the shower.

---

When they finally emerged from the shower he pulled on some jeans and a wife-beater and then made his way to the kitchen to put on some coffee.

Marissa went to the guest room to get changed back into her clothes from yesterday but her shirt and bra were still damp. She went to the top of the stairs.

"Ryan. Could I borrow a wife beater to put on while I put my clothes in the dryer? They are still damp."

"Sure help yourself."

She put on her g-string and her jeans and then went back into his room and took a wife beater from the drawer and put it on. The wife beater was so big on her she had to be really careful when she moved otherwise one or the other of her breasts would pop out of the arm hole. She carefully made her way down the stairs to the kitchen.

Ryan turned around to hand her a glass of juice and as she reached for it the wife-beater slipped off her shoulder and her breast fell out again. Ryan looked up and laughed. He couldn't take his eyes off her as he watched her trying to work out how she could manage to try to move while still maintaining her modesty.

"Don't laugh. What am I supposed to do?"

"Works for me." he said smiling "I don't see the problem." He took her damp clothes from her and went and put them in the dryer. "So you hungry?"

"I'm starving – it must be the sea air" she said smiling at him.

"You were always starving. I don't know how you stay the shape you are with your appetite." He said turning to look at her.

"How do you know what shape I'm in – although I do seem to remember you having a good long look when you took the towel off me last night." she teased him.

"Look who's talking. Just how long had you been watching me last night, before you bothered to let me know you were there?"

She could feel herself blushing, wishing she'd never started this little game. "Yeah. Okay. You've got me there. You win. But it's hard not to notice when you're walking around in a wife beater. Mind you I prefer you without the wife beater." She said raising her eyebrows at the last comment.

"Well if you ever want me to take it off I'd be happy to oblige" he said with a smile on his face.

"Hmm. I'll keep that in mind. Now, what can I do to help?"

"Well what do you want?" he asked as he looked at her suggestively.

She knew straight away what he had on his mind. "Down boy, not again. At least not until I've had food."

"Okay." He said as he opened the fridge and looked inside. "We have bagels, cream cheese, cereal and milk, eggs, toast, coffee. Anything take your fancy?" he smiled and looked back at her.

"Yes you do." She smiled "But right now a bagel sounds good. And a coffee" she added.

He got the bagels from the fridge and split one and put it in the toaster. Marissa watched him as he moved about his kitchen. "Do you want some smoked salmon with it? Rosa usually leaves some for me." He said, reopening the fridge to look for it.

"No. Cream cheese is fine. Did you say Rosa? As in the Cohen's Rosa?"

"Yeah. She comes in Mondays to clean up after me and then on Friday to freshen up the place and stock the fridge. I don't know what I'd do without her."

He put the bagels on a plate, handed her, her coffee and picked up his mug. "Let's go and make ourselves comfortable." He said leading the way to the sofa.

They ate looking out over the ocean in front of them.

"This is really great." She said admiring the view.

"Uh huh. … I love to come down here and spend some time on my own whenever I feel the need."

"But you're not on your own, your with me" Marissa replied. "Would you rather be on your own?" she asked scared that she had overstayed her welcome, somehow invaded his sanctuary.

"Nooo. Definitely not… I'm really happy that you're here with me. This place was built to have people in it. It never feels quite right when I am rattling around in it all on my own. I just mean I can get away from work and relax here. And thanks to Seth, I always have you with me".

"What?... Now you mean?" she looked at him puzzled wondering what Seth had to do with her being here.

"No all the time." Ryan replied.

"I don't understand?"

He reached for a pile of magazines on the sofa table behind them and handed them to her. They all had her on the cover.

"What?" She asked puzzled to what he meant.

"Seth's idea of a fun gift for me last Chrismukkah was a subscription to just about every magazine you have ever worked for, so if you look around the house here, you are just about everywhere."

She smiled and put the magazines back.

"I'm glad he made sure you didn't forget me. I'll have to remember to thank him when I see him next." Marissa replied.

When they had finished eating Marissa stood up. "Okay I'll clean up since you cooked." She smiled and reached for his plate and cup intending to go and put them in the dishwasher. As she did so the wife-beater slipped off her shoulder and she fell out again.

Ryan laughed "I definitely like the way you clean up. Maybe I could help you." He reached for her and placed his hand over her exposed breast gently rubbing the nipple between his thumb and fore finger.

"I thought you were going to help clean up? I don't think that's helping?" she smiled not moving away because she loved the feeling of his hand on her.

"No I like the way YOU clean up. I was helping with keeping you covered up since it seemed to be causing you some concern." He said as he moved in front of her and used his other hand on her other breast.

"Such a gentleman." She said as she put the plates back down on the coffee table and sat down on his knee. She put her hands around his neck and lent in and kissed him. She pulled back and looked deeply into his eyes. She desperately wanted to know just what was going on between them but she didn't think he knew any more than she did. All she knew was that this felt right. She lent back in and their kisses became more and more urgent as both felt the need to connect with one another. As her tongue slipped into Ryan's mouth, he removed the troublesome wife-beater and they slid off the couch on to the rug in front of the fireplace.

"Riss"

"What?" she replied between kisses.

"Is this going too fast for you?" he asked breathlessly between kisses.

"No" she replied as she reached for his belt.

"But Riss ….I mean … we said we'd take it slow." he pulled back and looked into her eyes.

"Listen Atwood I have been waiting for this for seven years, so I don't think that it is rushing things …Do you?"

"Well I guess not when you put it like that" he smiled and resumed back where he had left off.

---

A short time later, their clothes were scattered around the floor and the two naked bodies lay entwined, their breathing returning to normal, as Ryan rolled off Marissa and pulled a rug and a couple of cushions off the sofa to cover them with. When they were comfy he asked "What would you like to do now?"

"Well what did you have planned for today?"

"Well I could take you back to the hotel if you want……. or you could just stay here…. with me." Ryan suggested.

"Well I wasn't looking forward to spending time in the hotel either by myself or avoiding Jake. And whenever I try to leave it, I am constantly surrounded by photographers. So staying here sounds great... If you can put up with me… I don't want to wear out my welcome."

"Never." He kissed her lightly. "How about you stay for the whole weekend then we can really catch up."

"I can think of nothing nicer than being caught by you" she smiled snuggling up closer to him and wrapping her leg over his.

"Do you need clothes?" He asked remembering what had happened last night. "I mean we could always go shopping and get you some."

"Well what are we likely to be doing? You know. Because it seems certain activities don't require them." She smiled as she raised the rug on top of them to look at their naked bodies curled together.

He followed her gaze noticing how she fit perfectly to him before she put the rug back down. "I'm sure we'll be doing more of this but is there anything else you need? We can go to the mall." Ryan suggested.

"Yeah and start a small riot. I don't imagine even the newpsies at South Coast Plaza would leave us alone after that attention last night." She said.

"Yeah I think we might be the main event at the moment so it's probably wise to keep low." Ryan replied.

"By keeping low, are you referring to a 69 in the bedroom or something else?" She smiled.

"Ha ha. Can you get your mind out of the bedroom just for a moment. Are you sure there's nothing you need? I could just go down to the pharmacy on my own, if you need something." Ryan new they hadn't used protection last night and he thought she probably needed some contraceptive pills. He still regretted his mistake with Theresa all those years ago, and he didn't want to entertain the possibility of her becoming pregnant. Although, when he thought about it, he knew that there was a part of him that could think of nothing better than having a child with her. He had never been able to imagine anyone else as the mother of his children.

"Why would you want to go to the pharmacy?" All of a sudden it dawned on her and she realised what he was getting at. "Ahh... I think I see what's troubling you. Would is reassure you to know that I've already taken my pill this morning? I keep them in my handbag." She smiled at the look of understanding and relief on his face. "You know you could have just asked. I don't think that there are too many secrets between us after last night." She smiled.

"Yeah I'm sorry. I guess I'm just not comfortable talking about things like that. It's been a while since I've even had to concern myself with the possibility but you know after Theresa……"

"Yeah .. I know" she added. She didn't want to talk about Theresa.

"How about a walk on the beach? The beach here is fairly secluded. There is rarely anybody around at all. Your clothes should be dry by now and you can put on one of my caps and we should be fine."

"What you don't like the wife-beater?" Marissa queried; a smile on her face.

"Yeah I love it. But only for me. I'm not prepared to share." He replied.

"Okay. A walk sounds great."

He stood up and reached his hand down to her to help her up.

"Ugh" she moaned.

"What's wrong?"

"Uhmm. I think I've definitely had a workout. I seem to have a few aches and pains that I'd rather not have and I don't think making out on the floor helped either."

"It may be something to do with your sleeping position last night. Actually a number of positions you were in could be responsible." he added.

She smiled thinking back. "Yeah maybe. But it was worth it."

"Well come on. We'll go for that walk and if it will make you feel any better then I'll give you a massage when we get back."

"A massage sounds great. I intend holding you to that." She smiled thinking of the possibilities of a massage from Ryan.


	11. Catching Up

_Thanks to all of you who are reading and special thanks to those that are taking the time to let me know. Just thought I'd tell you that Ryan and marissa are going through a kind of 'honeymoon' period but unfortunately there is drama to follow. _

**Catching up**

A short time later they were walking on the deserted beach hand in hand. "So are you happy?" she asked.

"What right now?" Ryan asked, unsure of what she meant.

"No. I mean with your life. I mean … I know you are really successful. But that brings its own problems. Like what we encountered last night." She explained.

"Yeah sure. I mean I've worked really hard to get where I am… so I have no one to blame but myself if I'm not. And normally the paparazzi don't bother me. My personal life is much too boring. Or at least it has been." He smiled looking at her, then leaning in and giving her a light kiss. "But they do make it really difficult, if they are watching you all the time. Especially, when you are trying to start a relationship with someone, and you are not really sure how it is going to turn out."

"Is that what you are doing? Trying to start a relationship." Marissa said turning to look him in the eyes, wanting to know exactly where this was going.

"Maybe. I mean, I don't know. It takes two to start a relationship; I can't do it on my own." Ryan stared at her holding his breathe, wondering what her thoughts were.

Marissa smiled and leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips and then pulled back to look at him. "Does that answer your question?" she said.

Ryan moved closer and put his arm around her and kissed her again. "Not really. But it will do for now" he replied as their lips met yet again.

They continued walking until they came to a lifeguard tower.

"Want to sit for a while?" he asked.

"Sure." She replied and he placed his hand behind her back and guided her up the ramp.

Ryan sat down and leaned back against the wall and Marissa sat in between his legs using him as a back rest. Marissa sighed and looked out over the ocean and realised that she was completely happy. Being with Ryan was all she needed. She wondered why it had taken her so long to realise that. But it scared her a little that she felt like this and it was not even 24 hours since they got together. Maybe she should try not to rush things. I mean she didn't even know how he felt about her. He was obviously attracted to her but…. was it deeper than that and how could she tell? A small frown formed on her brow as she tried to think of how she could find out.

"Hey. Whatcha doing there? Not falling asleep on me are you?" Ryan asked noticing her silence.

"No just admiring the view" Marissa replied not yet ready to admit to him what she was thinking, and just how confused she really was.

"Me too !" he replied as he looked at her gently tracing the outline of her ear with his finger.

She realised what he was doing and leaned to the side so that she could give him a kiss over her shoulder.

"Is this what you thought your weekend would be like?" he asked as she turned back around to watch a seagull flying out to sea.

"I didn't really know what to expect – when you asked me out for a drink I wasn't sure if you were asking me along as a friend or as a 'friend' " she replied using her fingers to indicate the quotes around the second friend.

"And now you know?" Ryan asked.

"What do I know? I know us getting together happened a whole lot faster than I ever imagined" Marissa stated.

"And whose fault is that? I did try to slow it down but you didn't seem to be too happy with me when I suggested that" he stated, suddenly scared that she was regretting what was happening because it was all moving too fast.

"Yeah. Sorry about that. I guess I got a little carried away." She blushed as she thought back to what went on between them. "But in my defence I was just trying to be helpful since you were being nice enough to offer me a bed for the night it seemed the least I could do to give you some assistance when you obviously needed it." She had never been like that with anyone else. "I'm not usually like that." She explained.

"Yeah ..well...I was so embarrassed when you came to my room and caught me... in the act, so to speak, but the thought of you in the shower was all a little too much for me." he smiled and then looked at her seriously and said "….. but if you want to slow it down, just let me know. I'm happy to let you set the pace."

"Okay Thanks….. I'll think about it, but all I can think of at the moment is that massage you promised me".

"Now a massage is not necessarily the best way to slow things down." He smiled and helped her to her feet so they could begin their walk back to his house.

---

As they entered the house, Ryan could hear his phone ringing and he rushed to get it. Looking at the display he answered and said "Hey Seth. What's up?"

"Where were you man? I've been calling for ever. "

"Yeah sorry I went for a walk on the beach and didn't take my cell with me."

"That's not like you. It's normally attached to your ear. But anyhow, I've been instructed by Summer to find out how everything went last night."

"Good."

"C'mon. You're going to have to give me more than that to keep the little woman happy."

"Very good" he replied looking over at Marissa.

"You do know that Summer will not let you get away with a 2 word answer about last night. She wants details. She has tried calling Marissa but her phone is off. That's why she made me call you. I think the next step in her plan is to call Marissa's hotel room. So it will be all your fault if Marissa doesn't get her beauty sleep because she gets woken too early. Can you live with that?"

Ryan smiled. Little did Seth know it was already his fault that Marissa didn't get much sleep but it had nothing to do with the phone waking her. "I guess I'll just have to."

"So… 'Very good'… That's it... I don't think so… Are we going to have to do this the slowwww way?" Seth asked.

"What? Seth what are you on about?"

"You know. I ask specific questions and you give me yes/no answers."

"No."

"See you know how to play already. So number 1 are you going to see her again?" Seth asked.

"Yes... but that's it I'm not answering anymore of your questions."

"Not even easy ones like how about going out to a new club tonight?"

"No."

"What about if we can talk Marissa into going?" Seth teased.

Ryan smiled. "I doubt that will happen, but get back to me if you do."

"Hm… So there is some interest there?"

"Seth. I'm running out of patience with you." Ryan smiled as he said it.

"Okay. But will we see you at mum and dad's for lunch tomorrow?"

"I'll see, I've go a few things to do." he said looking at Marissa as he replied… thinking that 'doing' Marissa was definitely right up there with things he could think of to do. It was obvious from her grin that she knew exactly what he was referring to.

"Okay. But you can expect to be interrogated by Summer. She wants a blow by blow account of how it went. And any how, why are you acting so weird? You know I really think you need to get some, boy. You're definitely going off."

It was all Ryan could do not to laugh out loud. Little did Seth know, he had been 'going off' quite a lot in the last 24hours and all because he was getting some. "Seth I've got to go, I have a lot on today. I'll see you tomorrow."

While Ryan was on the phone, Marissa had slowly started to strip her clothes off. When she was stark naked, she walked up to him and started to undo the buttons on his shirt.

"Watcha doing?" he asked "Not complaining of course, just wondering".

"Well I heard you tell Seth that you had a lot 'on' this weekend, so I thought if I helped you take some 'off' then you would be able to relax more."

"Forget about MY clothes ….I don't think… you… taking… your… clothes off is going to help me relax" he gulped as he could feel the tightening in his pants. Once she had his shirt and wife beater off she continued down, proceeding to undo his jeans and remove them along with his boxers. "In fact, quite the opposite".

"Ah. But I'm just getting ready for the massage you promised me." She batted her eyelids innocently.

"I see. Exactly what did you want me to massage."

"Well I seem to have aches and pains just everywhere" she answered fluttering her eyes at him with a little southern belle accent. "So I think a full body massage would be in order".

"I think that can be arranged." he smiled and picked her up and walked to the bedroom.

After placing Marissa gently on the bed, Ryan looked at her naked body and said "You do realise that it's not your outside I'm thinking of massaging at this very moment".

"I must admit it had come to my notice that perhaps you had something else on your mind, although it's not exactly your mind that brought it to my notice. ….There seems to be at least a small, well not small – really quite big now that I'm looking at it – part of you that is a little, shall we say, 'excited'. Why don't you join me on the bed and show me what you have on your mind and we'll postpone the massage till later" she replied seductively.

He didn't need to be asked twice. Ryan bent down and kissed her and then joined her on the bed……………..

A short time later, after their breathing had returned to normal he looked at her and chuckled.

"What? What are you laughing about?" she asked.

"I was just wondering, where is the Marissa I used to know? And more importantly who is this hot and horny woman that is with me?"

"One and the same. Disappointed? …That I'm not who you thought I was?" she asked.

"Hell no. I can't get enough of you. Although at this rate though, after another 24 hours with you, I may not even have the energy left to get out of bed, let alone drive back to LA."

"So you mean we'd have to stay here?" she smiled moving her hand down under the sheets and to his groin to make sure he was left in no doubt about her thoughts on that possibility.

"Hm. I see the way you are thinking….. You do know that we could do something else like watch a movie or play chess?" he suggested trying to keep a straight face as he said it.

"What you're not interested in me already. Less than 24 hours and your over me." She pouted.

"I enjoy being 'Over You' " he stated "and 'Under You' for that matter …and every other position you have thought of …. just in case you hadn't noticed." Ryan replied while rolling on top of her to finish off what she had started.

---

A short time later, they emerged from the bedroom in search of food. "So what's for lunch? I seem to have worked up an appetite or maybe it's just the fresh sea air." She teased as she walked into the kitchen. "And I think you need to turn on the fire" Marissa said.

"But it isn't cold in here?"

"Well, I was only thinking of you. Since you said you would take your shirt off for me whenever I asked and I rather like the idea of having lunch with you without a shirt on… actually without anything on would be fine too."

He laughed and grabbed her to give her a kiss "What do you take off if I have to lose my clothes I don't think I should miss out"

"I don't think you missed out at all if I remember correctly…..or was that someone else earlier."

"Nope. Definitely me." He replied as he kissed her gently " And your right I didn't miss out but right now we need sustenance, just in case you want your way with me later in the day." He smiled as he opened the refrigerator.

"What would you like to eat?" he asked with a suggestive grin widening across his face, as he looked at her, remembering some of the activities that had just taken place in the bedroom..

"Not again. You can't be serious!" she replied instantly getting his meaning. "don't you need to rest?" she taunted.

"I've been saving myself for you" he replied "so I have a lot of catching up to do."

"Well I'm sure I'll let you catch me again but right now we need sustenance. I'm super fit, you know so you may have to go in to training to keep up with ME" she suggested.

"Keeping UP is my specialty" he laughed "hadn't you noticed?"

"Yes that had come to my notice. "

"I was scared that if you noticed you would run a mile."

"Well …I promise I'm not going anywhere….unless of course you don't feed me...then I may have to leave in search of food."

"How about one of my special omelettes?" he suggested.

"Sounds good" she replied.

Ryan set about making the omelettes while Marissa set the table. Then she moved over in front of the fire and picked up the cushions and rugs that were on the floor from earlier. She smiled as she wondered to herself if this could still be termed going really slow.

Sure they hadn't really talked yet, but she realised that she was too scared to admit to him exactly the depth of her feelings for him. She had been hurt too much before. It was as if she had been trying to show him how much she wanted to be with him rather than tell him. She hoped the message was getting through. She wasn't prepared yet to open up to him in case he didn't feel the same. She knew he was attracted to her, she just couldn't tell how much. But for the moment she was prepared to just get to know him again and all she could think was that nothing had ever felt so right.

---

After lunch they cleaned up and then they decided to watch a movie. They made some popcorn and sat and snuggled up together on the couch happy in each others company.

When the movie ended neither wanted to move, happy and contented exactly where they were. They sat for hours talking as they had on Friday night, keeping away from anything personal and just enjoying one another's company. They were playing with each others hands just entwining them and messing around when she decided to ask Ryan something that had been on her mind for quite a while now.

"When did you think that we might still have a chance together?"

"Seriously?"

She nodded.

He looked deeply into her eyes. He was still wary about letting her in too close but he knew if they were ever going to make something lasting out of this then he would have to open up. He would just have to try to take it slowly. "Well I guess I've never given up hope." He shyly admitted, somehow feeling embarrassed that he had never really moved on.

She leaned over and kissed him passionately. She tried to convey to him that she loved him. It was much too early to say the words but there was no chance that she could deny her feelings any longer. Sure there were still lots of questions to be answered and things to be sorted out but she realised that she would never be able to stop the feelings she had for him.

As she pulled back to look at him he smiled "Whoa…I guess that was the right answer."

"Yeah." She blushed, wondering if he realised just what she had been trying to say without words.

---

"So. I'm guessing you're hungry again. It must be at least 5 hours since we last ate."

"Don't be mean. It's not my fault I have a fast metabolism."

"So steak and salad okay?"

"Sure but I think I might go a have a quick shower first. I'm a little cold."

"Okay want me to join you?"

"Thought you'd never ask." She smiled and took his hand and led the way.


	12. Getting reacquainted

**Getting re-acquainted**

They emerged from the shower a short time later and Ryan pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt and started to make his way into the kitchen to start on dinner.

"I'll come and give you a hand in a minute. I'll just rinse out my clothes again so I can use them tomorrow. Do you mind if I borrow one of you sweatshirts to wear?" she asked as he made his way out of the bedroom.

"No go right ahead. There's plenty of clean one's in my wardrobe" he replied over his shoulder.

Marissa grabbed the sweatshirt he had been wearing last night and pulled it on over her head. She rinsed out her clothes and hung them to dry and then made her way to the kitchen.

"Wow!" Ryan exclaimed as she joined him in the kitchen. She had put on his sweatshirt and pulled it to one side so that it dropped off leaving one shoulder bare and making it obvious that she didn't have a bra on. The bottom of the sweatshirt ended at the top of her thighs and she looked like she had legs that went forever. Hell he thought to himself, she does have legs that go forever. "Wouldn't you prefer a clean one?" he asked as he tried to rearrange the stiffening he could feel in his pants.

"No. I like this one. It smells of you" she smiled sexily.

She walked up beside him and put her arms around his neck to bring him in for a kiss and he reciprocated by putting his arms around her waist and leaning in. As her tongue entered his mouth and the kiss got more intense he reached down to put his hands on her rear to pull her closer to him so he could rub his hardness against her and he realised that she didn't have anything on underneath." I think you have forgotten something" he said as he tried to hide the smile on his face.

"I had to wash out my underwear and I didn't think I would be needing it anyway… are you complaining?" she taunted as she reached her hands inside the waistband of his sweatpants and discovered he was going commando.

"No complaints here." He replied. He lifted her up on to the kitchen counter and she wrapped her legs around him pulling him in close. As their kisses increased in intensity, he ran his hands up under the sweatshirt and began to massage her breasts with one hand while fingering her with the other.

"You know… dinner… might… have…. to… wait." He suggested kissing her in between each word. "I seem to have something else to attend to."

"Yes you do." She panted as she pushed his sweatpants down and guided him into her. He cupped his hands under her bum to stop her from sliding off the counter, pulled her towards him and began thrusting into her.

"God Ryan..." Marissa moaned as she pushed her hips further into him, allowing him to penetrate her deeper. Harder and harder he went, until he felt her tightening around him. He watched as she arched her back in pleasure and then he let himself go. He held on to her tightly as he shuddered his release.

He held on to her, never wanting to let her go. "I think we just had dessert first." He panted.

---

They cooked dinner together and chatted about anything and everything,

He knew that they still needed to get to know one another again. Not physically, they seemed to have covered that bit first.

But they had both changed over the years and he still had some reservations after what had happened before. He knew that he needed to know a lot more about her before there was any chance of him letting her near his heart again. It had hurt too much when she had left him last time. He knew that she was only supposed to be here for a couple of months, so what would he do when she went away this time. He couldn't allow himself to get too close. Although maybe he already was.

"So acting hey?" Ryan queried.

"Sorry?"

"Just wondering what made you want to try acting. I mean you were already a successful model. Why the need to change?"

"Don't know really. Lots of little things, I guess."

"Like?"

"Um. Well, I really am sick of living out of a suitcase. I wanted to spend some time in one place. I'm not really a nomad."

"Aw. I think you'd look good in some flowing robes. Actually without the robes you'd look good too." He smiled.

"And I thought you were being serious." She laughed.

"I was. Sorry. And?" he asked.

"And what?" she replied.

"What else? You said there were a lot of little things."

"Well, I guess I was a bit lonely. Moving round all the time. I mean I had plenty of 'friends' to party with, but when you are constantly on the move it is difficult to make any real friends, you just don't spend enough time with them. I guess that sounds a bit lame?"

"No. I know how much Summer has missed you, so I guess it makes sense."

"Thanks" she replied thinking Summer wasn't the only 'friend' she'd missed.

"So why acting?"

"Well there didn't seem to be too many choices. I don't have a college education. I just never got there, even though I had the best of intentions. I was always too busy. So I have no other skills. And I am used to not having to worry about money, so working at McDonald's was out for me. So when the offer of this job came up I jumped at it."

"Are you enjoying it?"

"It's okay. I'm enjoying doing something different and I do actually need to engage my brain for this, just to memorise the lines, even though I haven't got too many….. So that's a change…..What about you?" she asked.

"What about me?"

"Do you enjoy what you do?"

"Yeah……..I love it. I sometimes need to pinch myself in case it's all a dream. Who would have ever thought that I'd amount to anything?"

"I did." She said softly.

"Yeah well. Maybe you were biased." He looked at her amazed at how much her words meant to him.

They continued to talk trying to get to know one another again.

After dinner, they relaxed in front of the fire with their glasses of wine, content in one another's company. Marissa snuggled up to Ryan and asked "Just wondering, where do we go from here? I mean when we get back to LA what's going to happen? Are things going to be different?"

"Full of questions hey" he smiled while intertwining his fingers with hers."

"Yeah. I guess so."

"Well I don't know for sure…. I mean the only thing I'm positive about is that we should both have a lot less sexual tension. Thanks to you." he smiled and leant away from her waiting for the whack in the arm that he was sure would follow.

Marissa didn't disappoint and hit him and laughed "I don't believe it was all one sided …..as I remember it".

"Umm. Maybe not but who started it?" he teased.

"I think my memory may have been affected by this sea air, it all seems to be a little vague." She returned.

"Very convenient…. But getting back to your questions…. Where do YOU see this going?" Ryan asked turning her question back on her.

"Um I'm not sure...I mean are we…um…you know……..are we an 'US' now?" she used her fingers to indicate the quotation marks.

He could see that she was really unsure and he wanted to put her mind at ease, or at least as much as he could. He wanted to continue to be with her until they worked out just what was going on between them. "Well I'm not sure but I have a vacancy for a girlfriend if you know of anyone that would be interested in the position" he smiled.

"That's sounds like a position I would like to fill……of course that was not the only position that I had in mind" she smiled and raised her eyebrows making sure he got her meaning.

"Okay…You don't need to ask twice. Let's go and try out some of those other positions you have on your mind. But then sleep, or we will both get back to work exhausted." He stood up and took her hand and led her into the bedroom.

---

When he woke in the morning, he was spooned around her naked body and all he could think of was that it was something that he could get used to. He was amazed that she could constantly surprise him…. even though he had known her for so long, he realised he didn't really know her at all.

As he moved to get out of bed and go to the bathroom, she rolled over and stretched.

"No! Don't go!" she exclaimed when she realised he was getting out of bed.

"Don't worry. I'll only be minute – nature calls" he replied as he dropped a quick kiss on her nose on his way to the bathroom.

"But I need you back here beside me." she called out from the bed.

"Okay. Back already" he exclaimed as he got back under the covers putting his arm around her and pulling her close.

"You do realise that it's nearly lunch time." Ryan said.

"What? How could we have slept so long? Normally my stomach wakes me up by 10…. It's better than an alarm clock."

"Well maybe you were just exhausted?" he said raising his eyebrows "…and then there was that rather late night… or probably early morning dessert you organised for us" he added smiling as he thought about it.

"Yes. We'll have to leave a note for Rosa to especially thank her. Those strawberries and cream, they were delicious." she stated innocently.

"Hm. But I doubt that Rosa thought they would be eaten in bed …at least certainly not served the way you chose to."

"You didn't seem to mind as I remember… and it saved on the washing up" she commented smiling as she said it.

"True. But then I definitely won't look at strawberries and cream the same way ever again" Ryan replied.

"I wonder what it is about you that seems to bring out this wanton side of me?" she asked implying that it was all his fault.

"What you are inferring that I make you this way?"

"Well I've never been like this before….so it must be you."

"Hmmm. I'm not sure if I should be offended… or whether that is actually a compliment. But I'm pleased you're only like this with me." He replied as he leaned over and kissed her tenderly. Lying back down beside her he asked "So what are the plans for the day?"

"I'm easy." Marissa replied.

"I know." He smiled as she hit him playfully on the arm. "Ow…Just joking…So how do you feel about coming to lunch at the Cohen's? " Ryan asked.

Marissa stopped hitting him. She was surprised. "What Kirsten and Sandy's?"

"Yeah. I…. Well, we all, usually go there for Sunday lunch if we don't have anything else on. It just gives us a chance to get together. But I can always just call them and get out of it, if you'd rather not."

"No I'd love to see them…. I rinsed my clothes out again last night but that's all I've got to wear. Do you think that would be okay?"

Typical woman…thinking of clothes first. He ducked knowing she would give him another playful hit."

"No… I just don't want to embarrass you. I mean, I am your girlfriend." She smiled.

"Yes you are." He laughed. "I should warn you though. Seth and Summer will be there so we can expect to get some questions.

"Well I guess we have to face them sometime."

"Yep….. So it's nearly 11. How about a shower and a quick bite…. you need to keep your appetite up because Kirsten loves cooking now and there is always too much food."

"Kirsten cooking? Things really have changed."

"Yeah... she's actually really good. But we need to get moving. So you go and jump in the shower and I'll go and put the coffee on then I'll come and join you."

"Sounds good."

While Ryan was in the kitchen he picked up the phone and called the Cohen's.

"Hey Ryan. Are you on your way?" Kirsten smiled looking forward to seeing him.

"No, I will be soon but I just wanted to ask if it's okay if I bring someone with me?"

"Sure honey. You know us, the more the merrier."

"Thanks. I just thought I should check. I'll see you soon." He hung up quickly before she could ask who … then he went and joined Marissa.


	13. The Mystery Guest

** The mystery guest**

Kirsten placed the phone down as Sandy walked into the kitchen.

"Who was on the phone?" he asked.

"Ryan." Kirsten said looking out the window to the pool. Her brain was going a mile a minute. She was so totally surprised by his call. What did it mean?

"Don't tell me he has to work again?" Sandy asked, wondering why Kirsten seemed so pre-occupied.

"No."

"Well what did he want? You look sort of stunned." Sandy added.

"He asked could he bring someone with him."

"What?…. Are you sure?" Now Sandy felt stunned.

"Yep."

"But Ryan never brings anyone with him."

"I know…. Why do you think I looked stunned?" Kirsten smiled, happy that she wasn't the only one surprised by this news.

"Hmm I see…. You don't think it could be Marissa do you?" Sandy asked.

"No…. I don't see how it could be….You know how the kids decided last Sunday that Summer would ask her to their dinner on Wednesday night?"

"Yeah. Did she not go?"

"No…She went…. and Seth told me that they had a really nice night with her. But just Seth and Summer. Something conveniently came up at work and Ryan couldn't go."

"So… do you think he was just avoiding her?" Sandy asked.

"Probably …I don't know… but would you blame him. She has put him through enough. It has taken him a long time to get to where he is now. I know he doesn't have anyone in his life and I think we'd both like that for him, but the most important thing is for him to be happy and I think he is, in his own way."

"So who else could it be then?" Sandy asked.

"Who else could what be father?" Seth asked walking in to the kitchen with Summer close behind.

"Hey you two. Nice to see you Summer." Sandy said.

"Thanks, Mr C, same here. Hi Mrs C."

Kirsten gave Summer a hug. "Hi, Summer."

"What about me? Isn't it nice to see me?" Seth whined.

"Yes son, of course but we were just talking about Ryan. He rang and asked your mother if he could bring someone to lunch and we were just wondering who it might be." Sandy replied.

"Your father thought it might be Marissa but I told him that he was a no show on Wednesday night so he hadn't even seen her yet." Kirsten said as she checked the oven.

"Ahh…. but he has" Seth said.

"What?" Kirsten asked turning to look at Seth.

"He took her out for a drink on Friday night."

"Hmm….So I wonder how that went" Kirsten said.

"Well I spoke to him yesterday." Seth said as he started picking carrot out of the salad.

Kirsten smacked his hand. "Seth……And?"

"Well you know Ryan. Mr Talkative. I think his words were 'Good' and then when pushed 'Very Good'. But I did get out of him that he was going to see her again but he didn't say when."

"Maybe he asked her to lunch then" Kirsten suggested. "If so, the night can't have been too bad."

"Yeah…. I mean when I asked him to come out with us last night he said no…. but when I suggested we might see if Marissa wanted to join us he did say to get back to him if she was going ….so I don't know… I figure he must be at least a little interested….I was going to try to get some more out of him today… but if he's got someone else with him I guess that could be a little difficult."

"Did Marissa end up going with you last night.?" Kirsten asked.

"No I tried her cell a couple of times but it was off and I left a message at the hotel but she didn't call back. I hope she isn't with that horrible Jake Hammond." Summer added.

"The actor?" Kirsten asked.

"Yeah. He's a real sleaze and he has a major thing for Marissa."

"Is she interested in him?" Sandy asked.

"Please ... she has a little more taste than that. Hell… a lot more…. But he is the star of the movie she's in, so she tries to at least be polite because she has to work with him. But I'm not sure that Jake's getting the message. Mind you, if she had anything to do with him I'd have her committed." Summer added.

"That bad …hey" Sandy smiled. Summer always had a unique way of looking at things that still amused him even after all these years.

"But then… who else could it be… unless Annabel has finally worn him down." Summer said.

"You've noticed that too hey?" Kirsten asked.

"The only one who hasn't noticed is Ryan. He still thinks her interest is just professional. Professional my foot…" Summer stated.

"Yeah I agree…..Well they should be here soon whoever 'they' are." Kirsten said.

"Would you like me to set the table.?" Summer asked.

"Sure. That would be great…. I thought we'd sit beside the pool. It's such a lovely day…. And Seth can help." Kirsten smiled.

"But Mother dearest, I'm an invited guest. Surely you wouldn't expect me to lift a finger?"

"Seth….just do it." Summer smiled pushing him out the door as she picked up the tray that Kirsten had prepared.

Chapter 34

As they drove to the Cohen's Marissa looked out the window and wondered just what they would think of her. She was looking forward to seeing them but it had been so long. She was worried about whether they would be happy that she and Ryan were together or whether they would think that they had rushed things. Hell she had never imagined in her wildest dreams that they would be together already. It was only a week since she had left Paris. Maybe they should have taken things slower. Doubts were starting to enter her mind.

"Penny for you thoughts" he said looking at her deep in thought.

"I think they are worth more than that…but….I was just wondering… Are we going to tell them about us, and if so, how… and then if we do…how are they likely to take the news? I just wonder how they will all react." she frowned.

Ryan knew exactly what she meant. He was a little worried too. In the light of day it all seemed to have moved a bit too quickly. But looking back he didn't know how they could have stopped it. "Having regrets already?…..I mean if you want to slow this down you know you only have to say the word. I don't want to push you in to anything that you're not ready for" he started to feel tense that his happiness was about to evaporate like a bubble bursting.

"Nooo...definitely not ...as long as we are together we will be fine and anyhow I'm your 'girlfriend', you can't get rid of me that easily" she replied and reached over and placed her hand on his leg, just because she wanted to have some contact with him.

"Yes you are." Ryan reached down and put his hand on top of hers giving it a squeeze to let her know that everything would be alright… or at least he hoped so.

They continued to drive in silence, both with a million things going through their minds until Marissa turned and said.

"Maybe we shouldn't tell them just yet. I mean I haven't seen them for 7 years. It might come as a bit of a shock that we are back together so quickly. They might think we have rushed things."

He didn't know whether to be worried or relieved. He had been thinking the exact same thing, but he was scared that it was HER that was having the second thoughts. "Okay…. So how do you want to play it? "

"Well ..." she shrugged "Maybe we could just say that you asked me to lunch to catch up with them. I'm not going to lie to them if they ask, but I guess we don't have to tell them exactly what we have been doing all weekend….You know… we don't have to go into all the details just yet." She looked at him and smiled feeling herself blush as she thought back to their activities over the last couple of days. She could see that something was worrying him. "What? Tell me what's wrong? We're not going back to the way we used to be. You have to tell me what's going on in there?" she said pointing to his head.

He looked over at her not sure whether he could tell her. He took a deep breathe, searching his brain for the words to try to tell her what he was thinking but he just couldn't seem to find them.

Marissa realised that he wasn't about to open up and she turned back to look out the window. "If you don't want to then that's fine. You know, they are you're family. We'll do what ever you think." She added, unhappy that he wasn't telling her what his problem was. She had hoped that they would be able to talk and communicate better this time around.

"No…. " he wasn't sure what to say but he knew he had to try. "I think you're right….I guess I was just scared that maybe YOU were the one that thought we'd gone too fast. You know. That you might have been having some regrets." He added.

"No. You can't get rid of me that easily. I think I'm addicted to you." She replied, relieved that he had actually told her what was troubling him.

"Good……" he smiled. "The feeling's mutual…So softly, softly hey?"

"Yeah." She smiled at him, happy that they seemed to have at least got over this first hurdle by talking to one another. Maybe things could be different this time around.


	14. The Games Up

** The games up**

A short time later they pulled up on the Cohen's driveway.

Ryan gave her hand a light squeeze as it rested on his leg and they both got out of the car and walked to the door.

"Ready?" he asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

He rang the door bell and stood with his hand on the small of her back. He just wanted some contact with her even though it was slight. They could hear the commotion inside as someone made their way to the other side of the door.

Kirsten opened the door and smiled at them. "Marissa. Lovely to see you. It's been a long time."

"Yes. Thanks Kirsten. Too long. I've missed you." She said as she gave her a hug.

"Well we've missed you too. Hi honey" Kirsten said giving Ryan a hug. "Come on through." She said as she led the way.

Sandy greeted them at the door of the kitchen. "Marissa you get more beautiful every day."

"Still the charmer hey Sandy?" Marissa laughed.

"Well I try. But really … it's great to see you. We don't often have world famous models come to lunch."

"No models here. Just me. A struggling actor who has no idea what she is doing." Marissa said.

"Yeah I heard about that. So how's it going?" Sandy asked.

"Well they haven't sacked me yet, so I guess that's good." She smiled.

"Coop?" Summer called as she entered from the lounge where she had been playing play station with Seth.

"Hi Sum" Marissa smiled wondering how long it would take for Summer to start asking questions.

Summer stood and watched Marissa and Ryan as they exchanged pleasantries with Kirsten & Sandy. She walked over and took Marissa's hand and started to move towards the stairs. "I'm sorry everyone I just need to steal Marissa away for a minute. We won't be long."

"Ugh…. Summer maybe later?" Marissa tried to stay where she was, knowing that the interrogation was about to begin and trying to find some way to postpone it.

"No…now" Summer stated firmly.

"But Summ…we've only just arrived. I haven't seen Kirsten and Sandy like… forever." Marissa said groping at straws.

"Yeah well…They're not going anywhere. So…Seth's room … Now." she stated and pulled her towards the stairs.

Marissa looked at Ryan as she was being pulled away. He shrugged his shoulders as if to say "I did warn you." And she smiled as she made her way up the stairs resigned that there was no way out of it.

Ryan looked at Kirsten and Sandy and could see they were about to start with the questions when Seth called out from the lounge.

"Hey Ryan?"

"Yeah?" Ryan replied moving towards the lounge pleased that Seth had interrupted before the questions had begun.

"Care for a little living room rematch?" Seth called out.

Ryan stopped and turned back to the kitchen "Do you need a hand Kirsten?"

"No I'm fine…. and Sandy can help me if I need it. Go have fun." She smiled.

"Okay thanks." He said as he made his way into the lounge. "I'm coming Seth. Prepare to be beaten."

"Huh. By you and what army?" Seth replied.

Sandy looked at Kirsten and they exchanged knowing looks. "I have this very strong feeling of déjà vu." He said.

"I know what you mean." Kirsten replied.

---

Summer dragged Marissa in to Seth's old room, closed the door and pushed Marissa to sit on the bed.

"Sum what is it? What's this all about?" Marissa asked.

"Spill!" Summer stated.

"What?" Marissa replied innocently trying to maintain her cool.

"I said Spill…. Don't bother playing dumb with me."

"I don't know what you are talking about?" Marissa replied.

"Sure…. You do know I'm not letting you out of here until I hear the full story?"

Marissa looked around the room noticing that very little had changed. She looked back at Summer who was standing with her arms crossed just waiting. "Is this about Friday night?" Marissa asked.

"Well that's a start… But don't bother just telling me about Friday. I know there's a lot more going on here than that."

"What do you mean?"

"You and Chino."

"Me and Ryan what?" Marissa asked feigning innocence.

"That's what I want to know….You haven't been home since Friday have you?"

Marissa could feel herself blushing. She didn't know what to say. But she had told Ryan she wouldn't lie and she couldn't lie to Summer. Playing dumb was one thing but lying to her best friend….never. "How did you know?"

"Girl what do I do for a living?" Summer asked.

"Um design costumes?" Marissa replied with a puzzled look.

"Well yeah…. stupid question.…but what did I do at college?"

"Um...Fashion design." Marissa replied.

"Yeah. You think I don't notice what people wear. Especially supermodel friends of mine that have the most amazing wardrobes and yet here they are with the same clothes on that they had on two days ago. Like, on Friday. At work."

"Oh... I see." Marissa could feel herself going bright red. They hadn't allowed for the fact that Summer would know straight away.

"Yeah… so you want to tell me just what's going on?" Summer was starting to get miffed that Marissa was not opening up.

"I don't really know." Marissa replied honestly looking at Summer.

Summer could tell from the look in her eyes that Marissa was telling the truth so she backed down feeling sorry for her friend. "Well let's start with what do you know?"

"I... just…" Marissa shrugged.

"Okay... Let's start at the beginning. What happened Friday?"

"We went for a drink." Marissa liked that question it was an easy one.

"And then what?" Summer tried to get her to continue.

"Well it got really noisy, so we left and decided to go and have something to eat. But when Ryan went to take me back to the hotel so I could get changed, the place was surrounded by paparazzi. So we went to go to his place but it was the same. He thinks perhaps somebody at the bar tipped them off."

"You think. A Supermodel and Boy Wonder together… now why would they want a photo of that? Do you know how long the press here, have been waiting for him to find a girlfriend?...Okay so you don't. But let me tell you a very long time. So what happened then?" Summer asked.

"Well we decided to come down here to Newport and just get take away at his house so that we could be alone."

Summer raised her eyebrows.

"We just wanted to talk …you know… catch up…..without an audience." Marissa explained.

"Uh Huh I'll let that pass…And then…"

"Do we really need to go into all this right now? They're probably waiting for us for lunch." Marissa tried to end the conversation before she had to reveal any more.

"Don't worry. They'll let us know when they need us. Just keep going." Summer added.

"Well it got really late so I ended up staying the night and Ryan was going to take me back to the hotel yesterday." Marissa explained.

"Uh huh" Summer replied.

"Um … But we were having such a nice time catching up I decided to stay another night?" She looked at Summer, more as a question than a statement, to see if that answer would be enough and whether she would just leave it at that.

"So are you two together?" Summer asked.

"Um I guess so…."

"Okay girl just out with it. No more avoiding it. Exactly how 'together' are you? Like first date together? Second Date?" Summer asked.

" No…Umm...I think we skipped ahead a few" Marissa smiled turning red, as she thought back to what went on between them.

Summer noticed Marissa blush. "I can't believe that boy would pressure you, after all of this time he should have known to take it slow" Summer stated.

"Um. It wasn't actually Ryan's fault. He tried to slow it down." Marissa blushed all over again.

"Whoa! Aren't you the sly one? And here I was ready to go and give Chino a piece of my mind…. but if you were ready then I'm sure he was… He is male after all." Summer grinned as she enjoyed Marissa's discomfit.

"Yeah he didn't put up much of a fight and I'd just like to say in my defence…. what did you expect me to do when I was in staying with him all alone with nothing else to do ….I had to amuse myself somehow." Marissa remarked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Right…so you were just amusing yourself…it didn't matter that it was Chino… anyone would have done?"

"No….It mattered…." Marissa responded looking down at her lap suddenly overcome with the feelings she had for him.

"And?" Summer asked. She wouldn't be satisfied until she knew it all.

"And what?" Marissa asked innocently looking back at her friend.

"Well what are we talking about here? I mean first base? Second?" Summer asked.

"Definitely home run." Marissa replied looking at Summer with a small smile.

"A home run! Well good for you…and …" she looked at Marissa waiting for her to continue "How was it? I mean after all this time?" she added, when it became obvious that Marissa was not going to give up this info without some encouragement.

"Which time?" Marissa teased her friend; starting to enjoy this little game and the fact that now it was Summer feeling uncomfortable rather than Marissa.

"Umm … you were only with him for 1 day and ……I mean...you'd barely spoken to him on Friday. I mean you thought he was avoiding you…."

Marissa smiled thinking back to the time she had spent with Ryan.

"So exactly how many times were there?" Summer asked.

"I didn't really keep count" Marissa replied.

"Ball park figure?" Summer pushed for more info… stunned at what she was finding out. I mean she had wanted Ryan and Marissa to get together. But for it all to happen so quickly stunned even her.

"Let's just say I would have needed more than my fingers and toes to keep count" she added.

"Excuse me…I think I'd better sit down... ….. You two really move fast…. Did you ever even get out of bed?" she asked as she sat down beside Marissa.

"Yes…..but then it didn't only happen in bed" Marissa exclaimed teasing her friend.

"Whoa girl ..I'm amazed you can even walk…..I'm just … stunned. I didn't really expect this…. I mean… I've always hoped you two would wake up to yourselves and finally get together. … but wow….it sounds like there was some sort of atomic reaction when it finally happened" Summer laughed as she looked at Marissa glowing in front of her…"I mean…Wow… I don't know how you did it?"

"Try waiting seven years and see how you go" Marissa replied.

"Yeah… I see how that could make a difference" Summer replied laughing.

"But Summ…Can you please not say anything… I mean, we know it all happened really fast... and even we're having trouble working out just what is going on. So can you just keep it to yourself at the moment? At least until we have some idea of just where it's going. We don't want Kirsten and Sandy thinking we have rushed into anything."

Summer looked at her and raised her eyebrows.

"I know. Maybe we have. But there didn't seem to be anyway to stop it." Marissa suggested.

"Okay. But I can tell you now. You're both glowing. You almost need sunglasses around you, so unless Kirsten and Sandy's eyesight is really going off, they are going to know anyhow."

"So what can we do?" Marissa asked.

"I don't know. But you know I'm here for you. Just promise me you won't hurt him. I love you both but I don't think I could ever forgive you if you do that to him again."

"What do you mean me do it to him? He was the one that broke my heart." Marissa stated.

Summer frowned, confused. "Yeah whatever…. C'mon let's go and have lunch… They'll be wondering what has happened to us."

---

As Ryan walked into the lounge Seth looked up and said "Whoa man ….what's happened to you?"

Ryan panicked. What was Seth talking about? Did he have a giant hickey on his neck? How could he cover it if he did? He didn't even know which side it was on. He should have worn a collared shirt. The t-shirt was useless. He could try to pretend that it was something else. Maybe he could bluff his way out of it? "What do you mean?" he asked as innocently as he could.

"The smile man. You sort of look…. dare I say it, ' G L O W I N G'. You'd be really good for Halloween. You wouldn't need to dress up."

Ryan glared at Seth or at least as much as he could given that he now realised he actually was smiling.

"Ha. You can't even give me 'the look'. It doesn't work with a smile plastered on your face." Seth commented.

"Yeah but a dead arm does." Ryan replied as he punched Seth.

"Ow… Don't take it out on me just because you've lost "THE Look" …and I'm betting that it is a woman that has been the cause. Who would've ever suspected that Ryan Atwood would be tamed by a wooooman."

"Do you want another dead arm?" Ryan asked.

"Ha…. seriously man…. you look like the cat that ate the cream."

Ryan smiled feeling himself going red... He couldn't disagree thinking back to some of his activities in the last couple of days.

Seth started to laugh, now more interested in making Ryan uncomfortable than what was happening on the game in front of him. "So I gather Friday went well?"

"Yeah. You could say that."

"And if Marissa looks anything like you then I'd hazard a guess that Saturday did too."

"Seth….. You know I can punch other parts of you beside your arms." Ryan started to wish he had stayed in the kitchen with Sandy and Kirsten. Surely that couldn't have been any more difficult than this was.

"Okay…. but you're going to have to come clean soon – you don't think Summer is going to let Marissa out of my room until she knows exactly what's going on?"

Ryan realised he was right. "That's the problem...We don't really know."


	15. Lunch at the Cohens

** Lunch at the Cohen's**

Kirsten had really mastered the art of cooking and everyone was enjoying their meal. Whenever the conversation seemed to lull, Sandy could always be relied upon to find a topic to keep it flowing. It was interesting, it seemed as if everyone had picked up on Ryan and Marissa's vibe and there was very little discussion about the "old days". No one wanted to deal with what had happened before. They discussed current affairs, movies and fashion – well at least the girls did. And…It turned out Seth was a expert on Victoria's Secret as he'd basically memorised the entire catalogue… which of course brought him another dead arm from Summer.

"Why is everyone always hitting me?" Seth whined.

"Probably because you are always being as ass" Summer replied.

"I'm sure there must be something I can do to stop this…. Father you're the lawyer. Can you organise a restraining order against Summer and Ryan to stop them from hitting me."

"Well I could I guess… but then you'd be pretty lonely. They are your best friends." Sandy smiled.

"Hmm true…Captain Oats has lost a little of his appeal over the last couple of years."

"So do you still want me to go ahead with the restraining order?"

"Hmm…hold fire for the moment …I need to think it through. …If they are nice to me I may give them another chance."

Kirsten looked at Marissa who was watching Seth and laughing. "We have basically the same conversation every Sunday. He hasn't changed at all. I don't know how Summer puts up with him." She explained.

---

Summer sat there watching her 'family' as she liked to think of them. These were the people most important in her life. The people she would do anything for.

It was like they were back in high school. Seth and Sandy having a go at one another… Kirsten trying to keep the peace… Ryan and Marissa making eyes at one another, seemingly oblivious to the fact that there was another person on the planet. The only thing different was the food. Home made by Kirsten was definitely something that they weren't used to back then. Sure she had started trying to cook when they were in Senior year but it had taken her a while to perfect it. Now she was a terrific cook and they all looked forward to one of her meals.

Summer sat watching the banter between them and wished that the day would never end. It seemed so right. How had this ever changed? Well she knew it had changed because Marissa had had to move away when Caleb and then Jimmy had left Julie and her with no money… forcing Marissa to become the breadwinner of the family. But why had it taken so long for her to come back to them?

And something had definitely happened between Chino and Marissa in final year of college. Summer didn't know exactly what, Chino had never exactly explained but he had returned from New York that New Year a shell of his former self saying Marissa had moved to London. He had gone, on what Summer termed, a 'bonking spree' and she worried a bit about his sanity. She didn't know who he was. Certainly not the Chino she had come to think of as one of her best friends. He never for a moment pretended to feel anything for the women but pure lust, and they all knew that. He never promised to even remember their names but he must have been really good at what he was doing, because there was never a shortage of women waiting to fill his bed on any night of the week.

By the end of college he seemed to have gotten over it and since the time that he had started his business he had been almost a singularly driven man, in throwing himself totally into making his business a success.

There had still been a continuos supply of women keen to be the woman in his life but it was almost as if he had turned off that part of himself and closed it down just like you might close down part of a factory and he had turned himself into a factory that built an incredible business that was Atwood Constructions. For a while he would take a partner on his arm to a function, if it seemed appropriate to do so, but for the last couple of years he had gone alone, fed up with the 'hand bags' that were nothing more than accessories to his life; preferring to go alone. He was successful enough that no one would ever question anything he did.

Summer could see just from looking at him that this was a different Ryan. He looked years younger and yet, there was an uncertainty about him.

He could barely take his eyes off Marissa for even a moment and yet there was an uncertainty that she recognised. Marissa had been right. They really didn't know what was happening between them.

Summer just hoped that this time they worked it out. She couldn't bear to see her two friends hurt again. She thought back to her conversation with Marissa and something had troubled her. Marissa had seemed to indicate that it was Ryan that had broken her heart. Summer had always thought that it had happened the other way around. She wondered what really happened. She knew that Ryan had never spoken about it to anyone, not even Seth. She wondered if she would ever have a chance of getting the full story from Marissa. She decided if the opportunity ever arose then she would try to find out exactly what happened. Who knows, maybe she could help make sure it never happened again.

When they finished lunch they started to clear the table and Sandy said.

"Why don't you four go and do something together. You could go down to the pier and get an ice cream or go to the diner for a milkshake."

"What do you say Marissa?" Seth asked.

"Sure." Marissa said looking at Ryan for some sign from him.

He just smiled and said "What about we clean up first?"

"No. Just leave that to us. We oldies have got nothing better to do. And when we've finished we can have a little rest until you come back." Kirsten added.

"Okay then… let's go." Summer said pulling Seth towards the front door. "I vote for the diner."

"You would. I think you're addicted to those Black & White milk shakes." Seth laughed as they all piled into his Range Rover.

---

Back in the kitchen Sandy was stacking the dishwasher while Kirsten put the leftovers in the fridge.

"Now ... about that little rest we are having" he raised his eyebrows at her suggesting anything but a rest.

"Down boy we have more important things on our minds." Kirsten smiled, loving the fact that her husband still found her desirable.

"We do?" he looked at her with his best disappointed puppy dog eyes.

"Yes we do." She laughed.

"Okay it was worth a try …So…what do you think?" Sandy asked.

"About what?" Kirsten replied playing dumb.

"You know about what? Ryan and Marissa. Isn't that what 'we' have on our minds? Although they really aren't what was foremost on my mind." Sandy said trying one more time to persuade his wife to come to bed with him.

"Yes it was. You're just trying to not deal with it…You saw it too?" Kirsten looked at him obviously worried.

"You'd have to be blind not to see it. They could barely take there eyes off one another." Sandy admitted.

"I know." Kirsten said with a worried look.

"You don't approve?" Sandy asked.

"It's not up to us to approve. He's a grown man, more than able to make his own decisions. I just don't want to see him get hurt again."

"I know… but what can we do?" Sandy asked.

"We can't do anything. Just be there for him in case anything does happen. Don't get me wrong there's a part of me that can think of nothing better than the two of them being together. I mean I want to see him happy and let's face it he was happier today than he has been for years but…"

"But?" Sandy asked.

"Well you know….you know what he was like in that final year of college. And even when he started the business. He was almost driven…There was no room in his life for anything besides the business. I know, if we or Seth and Summer ever wanted him, he would be there in a moment. But other than us, he cut himself off from everyone. It's only been the last 12 months and this project with the low-income homes that has finally seemed to restore his …I don't know…humanity. Is that the word? It's almost like it's brought him back from the dead. He had cut himself off from his emotions. I'd hate to see him go back to the way he was." Kirsten explained.

"Yeah well he's a big boy now…we have to let him make his own decisions…and from the look of him he's already made his choice. And from what I could tell, so has she. But isn't she only here for a couple of months? I mean what happens then?" Sandy asked.

"That's what worries me. I can't see there being any future in this. They lead such different lives now. She lives in Europe. He works in the States."

"I know. You don't think he would take off after her. Do you?"

"I guess anything's possible. We'll just have to wait and see."

"Do you think I should have a talk to him? You know just make sure he has thought it through?" Sandy asked.

"From the looks of them, I think it's too late for that."

They all got into Seth's Range Rover, Summer and Seth in the front and Ryan and Marissa in the rear. Ryan looked at Marissa and smiled. He was desperate to hold her and kiss her. The occasional touch under the table at lunch wasn't nearly enough. It may have only been a few hours since they were in bed together but it felt like forever. They kept staring at one another trying to convey to one another how they were feeling without actually touching, oblivious to the fact that Seth was watching them in the rear view mirror.

"Okay… I know you all think I'm self absorbed but even I can tell there is something going on and I'm guessing that Summer has already got it all out of Marissa because its one of the things I love about her. That she persists until you break." he explained.

She smiled and lent over and kissed him. "I'm glad you're so proud of me."

"Yeah. But I think the two in the back should just give up the game and come clean. I mean it's only us now, no parentals in sight, and I don't see why you should have to keep everything from me?" Seth suggested.

"Probably, because you would tell everyone." Marissa said.

"That's not true. I can keep a secret." Seth replied indignantly.

"Yeah… What's your record? About 2 days?" Ryan added.

"Hmm…. I'm not sure I've ever lasted that long. But I am getting better." Seth replied.

Marissa and Ryan looked at one another. He put his arm out and said "Come here." and she moved to lean her head on his shoulder laying her hand on his leg as he wrapped his arm around her.

"So?" Seth asked.

Ryan smiled "Well we didn't want to tell anyone just yet because we figured you would all think that it is too soon.? He kissed Marissa softly on the lips. "But…well….things sort of happened when we got together. So…anyhow… I have asked….and Marissa has consented……."

Seth's heart started to pound. This couldn't be happening. Ryan couldn't get engaged before him. Summer would kill him. They had been talking about it for ages now, and he fully intended to propose, he just hadn't gotten around to it. Ryan couldn't do this. Seth could see that there was something special between Ryan and Marissa but they couldn't rush into this. It would be wrong on so many levels. He had to stop them. Plus it could be the only way to stop Summer from killing him. Perhaps if he had a heart attack that would stop Ryan from saying anything more but since he was driving that may not be such a good idea.

Ryan noticed Seth turning pale. He knew that Seth had been procrastinating about proposing to Summer and Ryan had specially selected his words to make Seth uncomfortable and it certainly seemed to have worked. He watched his brother almost hyper ventilating and decided he should put him out of his misery. "….To being my girlfriend." Ryan lent over and kissed Marissa sweetly again.

"Aw man…. how could you do that to me." Seth said starting to return to his normal colour as he felt the blood returning to his head.

They all laughed. Summer especially. She obviously knew what Ryan was about to say and she enjoyed watching Seth's discomfit.

"So I'm guessing that drinks on Friday went well?" Seth asked as he recovered.

"You have no idea." Marissa smiled and kissed Ryan gently.

"No… But I'm guessing Summer does and my little munchkin will tell me all… I have ways of getting her to talk. Actually I have ways of getting her to moan." Seth smiled.

"Seth...Too much information…actually much too much." Ryan stated.

"Aw... you can talk…from the glow in the back seat, I'm guessing you're either radioactive or there has been a lot more than talk going on between you two."

Ryan looked at Marissa and smiled. "Maybe we're radioactive?"

"Yeah. And I'm Spiderman." Seth muttered.

---

When they arrived at the diner they took a booth towards the back. Summer and Seth on one side and Marissa and Ryan on the other. The waitress came over and took their orders and kept looking at Marissa and Ryan, almost ignoring Summer and Seth who just thought it was funny. She came back a short time later and asked for Ryan and Marissa's autographs. They chatted for a few minutes and then another waitress brought over their drinks and chilli fries and she wanted autographs as well. Ryan and Marissa obliged and went back to talking with Seth and Summer, not realising that the diner had been slowly filling up and was now almost packed and there was a crowd starting to form outside the door. Seth looked up. "Umm… Either they are giving away free food here or there is some other special attraction and I have a feeling it might be you two."

Ryan and Marissa turned and realised what he was talking about.

"What are we going to do?" Marissa said.

"Um...let's get out of here." Ryan called the waitress over. "Could we have our bill, please?"

She smiled and made her way over to the cashier's desk and spoke to the woman there, who made her way over to talk to them.

"Hi… I'm Carole the manager… Your food is on the house. We haven't had this many people in the diner on a Sunday afternoon since….well ever… so please feel free to come back whenever you like. You're good for business." She added smiling at them.

Ryan smiled back. "Thanks Carole. I'd rather just pay. But we would like some help. Do you have a back way out of here that we could use? It seems a little crowded out the front."

Carole looked out the front door and noticed what he meant. There was a real crowd out there now. "Sure you have to go through the kitchen. But that's not a problem, just follow me."

"If it's okay we'll be there in a minute." Ryan replied.

"Okay whenever you're ready" she smiled and moved away.

"Okay here's what we're going to do. Seth. Can you go and get the car and meet us in the lane out the back?"

"Sure just give me 5 minutes to get through the crowd out there. But before I go, I think we should synchronize our watches." Seth looked very serious, obviously enjoying the sudden change to his normal Sunday afternoon activities.

"Seth… forget your watch. Just do as I said and we'll meet you out the back in 5….Okay? You go now. We'll see you soon." After Seth left he turned to Summer. "Summer, In a couple of minutes.… you and Marissa go to the bathroom. While you're there, I'll go and pay. When you come out just meet me at the cashier's desk. Don't come back to the booth. We'll sneak out of the kitchen from there. Okay?"

"This is really fun." Summer said. "I wonder if Seth is being stealth?"

"Summer you definitely spend too much time with him." Ryan laughed.

"Okay off you go" he said and the girls left.

Ryan sat for a couple of minutes more and then made his way over to Carole.

He handed her $100 and said. "Thanks for your hospitality but if anyone asks I'd prefer it if you said we were never here." Ryan suggested.

"Sure…for a tip like that I can forget you really quickly." She said just as the girls arrived from the bathroom. "Okay... follow me" and she folded back the counter to let them through.

They made their way through the kitchen to the back door and Carole checked outside for them. When she saw Seth entering the lane she said. "Okay. He's here."

"Thanks Carole. Remember we were never here. Do that and I promise we'll be back again." Ryan stated.

"Okay I look forward to seeing you. Good luck."

They ran out the door. Ryan grabbed hold of Marissa's hand as he pulled her into the waiting car. A few people had realised what they were doing and had started to come around the corner…. some with cameras in their hands.

They jumped into the car and Seth took off in a hurry

"Okay ColeTrickle… Floor it." Summer called.

"Summer you really need to get over of this Tom Cruise obsession." Seth said.

"Shut it Cohen." She turned to Ryan and Marissa and laughed. "Well that was fun. No one could ever say life around you two is boring."

"I guess we probably shouldn't have gone out in public just yet. I feel a bit like the freak show at the circus." Ryan said.

"Yeah I can see the similarity." Seth agreed.

Marissa hits him on the head from behind.

"Ow…Not you… Ryan I meant. You improve the look." Seth stated trying to get back in Marissa's good books.

"Sure… But … I can't believe the crowd there." She looked concerned.

"Don't worry. Hang around with Chino long enough and you'll get used to it." Summer replied.


	16. Sandy and Kirsten find out

**Sandy and Kirsten find out**

They drove back to the Cohen's and Seth pulled up on the driveway. They all emerged laughing into the house.

"Well that was fun." Seth stated as they entered the lounge where Sandy and Kirsten were sitting watching TV.

"Good." Sandy said.

"I'm being sarcastic dad. We were basically chased out of he diner by a million eyes all staring at Ryan and Marissa. I can't quite see what they all see in them. I mean Summer and I were there but we may as well have been invisible."

"Ah…I see ..So they were the star attraction… hey?" Sandy looked at Ryan and Marissa. They were standing about a foot apart, just looking at one another.

"Yeah…Although it could be good?" Seth added. "They did offer to give us our food on the house. Maybe we could make something out of this."

"Seth….." Ryan said.

"Okay okay… But what's wrong with thinking about what I could get out of this…." Seth said while looking at Ryan glaring at him. "Okay I know … self absorbed… got it."

"So I guess you two are having a little trouble moving around without attention?" Kirsten asked.

"You have no idea. There seems to be people everywhere. I don't know why – we're not that interesting." Ryan added.

"Chino. You've got to be kidding. You know the press around here think of you as their golden boy. Anything you do is newsworthy and for you to finally be seen with a girl after all this time would be front page stuff even if the girl was Dracula's daughter." Summer stated.

"Well thanks Summ." Marissa commented.

"No. That's not what I mean. I mean that they would have him on the front page with anyone on his arm but to have a world famous supermodel – hell they'll be dining out on this for months." Summer went on.

"Do you think if we just stayed apart for a while, things might die down and they'd leave us alone?" Marissa looked at Ryan waiting for his reaction.

Ryan's head shot up and he looked at Marissa trying to work out where that comment came from. Was she seriously suggesting that they stay apart?

"You're only here for a few months – you couldn't be together at all. That's about the only way they'd leave you alone." Summer added.

Ryan was still looking at Marissa. He needed to talk to her. Alone. And now.

"Um…Would you like to see the pool house, Marissa?" He asked.

They hadn't broken eye contact. "Sure." She replied as they started to make their way out the door.

"We'll come too." Seth said. "It'll be like old times."

"No we won't" Summer piped in "We've got things to do in here."

Ryan smiled at her and he and Marissa left and headed out to the pool house.

"What have we got to do in here?" Seth whined. He'd been having a great day with the Fantastic Four back together. He didn't want to miss out on anything.

"Can't you see that they need to be alone?" Summer asked.

"Why? They've obviously been alone for the last two days?" Seth said.

"What?" Sandy and Kirsten chimed in almost simultaneously.

"Seth !" Summer said.

"Oops." Seth commented. "Maybe I'm not much better at keeping secrets." He looked at Summer who was just shaking her head.

"What are you saying? What are we dealing with here?" Sandy asked.

"What do you mean father?" Seth asked trying to act dumb even though he had just given the game away.

"Seth… We may be old but we're not blind yet …or stupid." Kirsten said.

"Well do you mean is the fantastic four back together?" Seth asked.

"Not exactly the words I would have used. But... yeah, I guess you could put it that way." Sandy stated.

"Then yes. It certainly looks like it." Seth said.

Summer decided that she would try to explain. "I'm not quite sure just how back together and I don't think they even know so there is no point asking them. But they are certainly still attracted to one another and I think they are trying to work it out." Summer added. "But I think it would be better if you hear it from them. It's not really up to us to tell you….They were going to try to keep it to themselves for a while. But, I sort of guessed." Summer added.

"How did you guess?" Kirsten asked.

"Well Marissa is still in the same clothes she was in when she left work on Friday and I notice things like clothes. So I knew as soon as she walked in the door that she hadn't been home. But as for the rest. You'll have to talk to them."

---

Ryan opened the pool house door and let Marissa enter first. She walked inside and looked around. It was almost the same. Memories flooded back to her. Some good, some bad. But all ... of her and Ryan. They couldn't pretend they didn't have a past. So much of it took place inside these four walls. They had been hoping that they could just build on the attraction that they still had for one another but she knew that at some point they would have to deal with the past … but not right now. That would have to wait. She turned to Ryan as he closed and locked the door behind him. Obviously wanting to make sure that Seth didn't follow.

He stopped and looked deeply into her eyes while still standing apart from her. He couldn't find the words to begin so he just reached out his right hand towards her and she moved towards him. As she reached him he wrapped his arms around her and she snuggled into him. He felt so much better. He had been concerned when she had suggested them staying apart that she really meant it. He knew that he couldn't do it but he had to get it cleared up. Now, holding her, he knew it wasn't what she wanted anymore than he did.

She pulled back "I'm guessing this isn't the scenic tour and that you wanted to talk about something?"

"Yeah... Did you really mean it when you said you'd stay away from me rather than have the paparazzi hounding us?" Ryan asked.

"Well I don't want to upset your life." Marissa explained.

"You'll upset it more by staying away."

"It's just…." Marissa started.

"Just what?" Ryan asked.

"Well. That was all a bit…scary…. this afternoon at the diner." she explained.

"Scary?"

"Well not scary…. Maybe… overwhelming? I mean often… when I'm out… people do double takes around me and occasionally I get asked for autographs or photos…But nothing like that. I mean how do you cope with it all?" Marissa asked.

"Well it hasn't happened for a while. It has happened before mind you. But because I never date the same girl twice, they have realised that there is nothing to it and so they have stopped bothering me."

"So if I'm on the scene you are going to have all that to cope with. I know you like your privacy and I don't want to upset your life." Marissa added.

"Don't you realise that I will happily put up with a few annoying photographers so I can spend time with you. You make it worthwhile. They'll just have to get used to us. I guess the question is whether you think I'm worth upsetting your peaceful life?"

She raised her head and looked at him deeply. She moved forward and kissed him as way of an answer to his question. As the kiss became more passionate they moved back and fell onto the bed.

After a few heated moments Ryan pulled back and said. "Um I think this is going to have to wait. I don't know how long it will be until Seth finds the key and comes to join us."

"Yeah… So what do we do now?" Marissa asked.

"Well." He said sitting up and entwining his fingers with hers. "Firstly I think we should tell Sandy and Kirsten. I know we were going to wait. But in light of what happened at the diner and the fact that it would seem half of Newport now know … I think I would rather them hear it from us than from someone else." Ryan added.

"Okay I agree. So will we tell them now?"

"Yeah I guess so."

"Hmm… It's going to be difficult with Seth in the same room making smart arse comments." Marissa suggested.

"I might see if they'd like to join us out here."

"Okay."

Ryan reached for his phone.

Marissa watched as he said "Hi Sandy. Marissa and I were wondering if you and Kirsten would mind coming out to the pool house. We have something to tell you."

Ryan hung up. "They'll be out in a minute." He said.

---

Ryan unlocked the door to let Kirsten and Sandy in.

Marissa was sitting on the bed but she got up and Ryan asked them to sit down.

Ryan started pacing back and forward.

"Um… We…that is Marissa and I just wanted to tell you ….um" Ryan looked at Marissa trying to find the right words.

Kirsten watched him, wanting to put him out of his misery. "Ryan… We know."

Ryan looked up surprised. "Sorry… what do you know?"

"About you and Marissa." Sandy added.

Ryan looked puzzled and then said "How?" he frowned as it dawned on him. "Seth?"

"Well yes and no. We had sort of picked it before he said anything he just confirmed it." Kirsten added.

"Okay. Then it would seem our idea of keeping it to ourselves was a complete failure." Ryan smiled and moved over to where Marissa stood and took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers and holding it tight. "We'd still like to keep it quiet until we work out exactly what's going on but obviously we wanted you to hear about us from us, not somebody else."

Marissa added "I'm sorry we didn't tell you straight away. It's just it's been a little quick even for us. We're just trying to slow things down and see where we go from here." She smiled.

Kirsten looked at the two of them realising they really had no idea what they were getting themselves into and immediately felt protective of them. "I understand. We understand. But in the meantime Marissa, I believe you need a change of clothes. Just in case someone in the media is as astute as Summer. Why don't you come with me. I'm sure we can find something to fit you."

"Thanks. I hadn't really thought about it. But I guess I may have to run the gauntlet just to get back in to the hotel tonight." Marissa said.

"Well maybe Marissa could go back to LA with Seth and Summer?" Sandy suggested.

Marissa looked at Ryan. "Um I still have some things at Ryan's that I need to do." she said cryptically.

Ryan looked at her puzzled. But she gave him a look that said don't question me so he shrugged his shoulders and left it to ask her about later.

Sandy looked at them and said "Okay. Well how about we swap cars. You take my Beemer and leave yours here. I've got a meeting in LA on Tuesday morning so I'll bring yours back then. Nobody will recognise you in my car. They'll be looking for your Merc convertible and lets face it. It does stand out."

Ryan thought about it for a minute "Okay Sandy that would be great, if you don't mind."

"It's no problem. I rather like the idea of driving your convertible." Sandy smiled trying to reassure Ryan that it would all be fine.

"Okay we'll just go and find something for Marissa to wear. See you inside soon." Kirsten added.

Kirsten and Marissa walked out of the pool house but not before Kirsten looked at Sandy with an obvious unspoken message. And then she closed the door.

Ryan noticed it and said "Okay. I'm ready."

"Ready for what?" Sandy asked.

"The lecture." Ryan suggested.

"What lecture?"

"About how we're rushing things."

"No lecture here. You're not in high school anymore. You're a grown man and I'm sure there's nothing I can say that you haven't already thought of yourself. "

"Yeah. You're probably right. I know there are a thousand reasons why I should be keeping a mile away from her but the simple fact is … I can't. I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about her." Ryan said as he looked down at his feet, feeling uncomfortable revealing to Sandy a little about the depth of feelings he had for Marissa.

"I can see that but..." Sandy started.

"But… what?" Ryan asked.

"Just be careful. I mean …what happens when she leaves? Isn't she only here for a couple of months?" Sandy asked.

"Yeah I believe that's the current plan. And I know that creates all sorts of problems. But for right now, all I know is that being with her just feels right. More right than anything has since she left. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. But don't worry I'm not going to allow her to break my heart again. I may still be attracted to her more than anyone else I've ever met but I doubt I will ever be able to love her the way that I did. It's almost as if that part of me died." Ryan said looking up at Sandy trying to reassure him and knowing that any concerns that Sandy and Kirsten had, were only because they cared for him.

"Okay sounds like you know what's in front of you. Now let's go and join the others. I'm sure Summer will have had enough of Seth by now."

Ryan laughed as they made their way back to the kitchen. "Yeah you're probably right."

---

They organised that Marissa would drive back to LA with Ryan and then when they got to his apartment block, Summer would drive Marissa back to the hotel in her car. That way the paparazzi would not have too much to speculate with.

As they hopped in to Sandy's car to leave the Cohen's, Marissa lent in and gave Ryan a kiss.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"Just because I can" she smiled.

As he reversed the car out he looked over at Marissa "By the way what are the things you've got to do at my place? You've got everything you had with you, right here."

She blushed "I hope you don't mind, I know I could've gone back to LA with Seth and Summer. But I didn't want the weekend to end just yet. I'm not quite finished with you."

Ryan smiled. "I don't mind…I was thinking much the same myself. And if I remember correctly, I still owe you a massage from yesterday that we didn't quite get around to…. Something else distracted me." He laughed.

Marissa 's faced broke into a big smile. "I like the sound of that." As he drove off down the road she reached across and placed her hand on his thigh and then started to slowly move her hand up towards his crotch. She started to gently stroke the hardening in his pants.

Ryan glanced over at her loving the feeling of her hand upon him. "I know the windows on this car are darkly tinted but unless you want me to pull over and deal with you right here, in the car, I think you should stop that until we get home."

Home - she thought how lovely that sounded. She had spent so much time on the move in the last few years. She could think of nothing better than having a place to call home one where she could put down roots; and especially one with Ryan. It would be perfect. But she couldn't get carried away. She didn't want to over analyse everything he said. But he had said it so easily. And it felt so right.

She removed her hand and started to slowly unbutton Kirsten's shirt that she had borrowed, until it hung loosely, revealing her lacy bra whenever she moved and of course she made sure she moved enough so that he could get a good eyeful.

"You do know that is almost as distracting as what you were doing before" he said glancing at her again, desperate to remove the offending garments that were blocking his view of her perfect breasts.

"I was just feeling a little hot" she said looking innocently at him.

"Yeah well now so am I. Perhaps I should just change the temperature on the climate control."

"I'm sure you can find another way to fix the problem." She smiled seductively at him.

He sped up and covered the distance to his house in record time. "It's a good thing we don't live far away." He said as he turned the last corner to his house, pulled in to the drive and pressed the remote to open the garage door.

By the time he had driven into the garage, closed the door behind them and turned the car off, Marissa had undone the button on his jeans and was sliding down the fly. She had lent over and was licking and nibbling on his ear and he turned to give her his full attention.

Their lips crashed together, tongues entwining. They couldn't get enough of one another.

"I think we should move this to the bedroom. I'm sure we'll be much more comfortable." He suggested as he came up for air.

"Okay. But make it fast."

They got out of the car and as soon as they got inside the door of the house he grabbed her and while he removed the offending blouse and bra that were impeding his view, she used her time to remove his jeans that she had already undone. They made their way towards the bedroom relieving one another of their clothes as they went, leaving a trail from the door of the garage to the bottom of the stairs.

As the last piece of clothing hit the floor at the bottom of the stairs, Marissa turned to make her way up the stairs only to have Ryan following right behind. He started to kiss her from behind. Kissing her shoulders and back and wrapping his arms around her so that his hands were caressing her breasts and tweaking her nipples between his fingers. She hesitated to catch her breathe and could feel his hands reaching lower. Running his hands down her sides and then up the inside of her thighs, he reached her hot core. She stopped and moaned as he moved his fingers inside her. She loved the feeling, starting to move herself so that he could penetrate further. He removed his fingers and moved up another step and pushed himself inside her. She bent over … her knees buckling at the feeling of him pressing against her g spot. "Oh God Ryan." She panted. He continued to thrust into her, over and over until he felt her tightening around him. Marissa cried out in release and then he let himself go and collapsed on top of her.

A few minutes later, Ryan pulled out and then helped her to her feet.

"We didn't quite make the bedroom. Sorry." He said.

"Don't be sorry. I never used to like stairs but I'll never look at them the same way again." She smiled.

"So what now?"

"You still owe me that massage." Marissa smiled. "Don't bother thinking you can get out of it that easily."

"Okay. Let's do it. Otherwise I'll never hear the end of it." He said as he led her to the bedroom.

"I think we just did it, but the massage sounds good anyway." She smiled.

Marissa lay down on her stomach on the bed and Ryan sat beside her.

"Is it okay to use this?" He asked showing her the bottle of lotion he kept beside the bed.

She looked at him and smiled. "I don't suppose you have any flavoured lotion?" she asked.

"What?" he asked confused.

"Well unless I'm mistaken, I think that's the one I tasted on Friday night and it doesn't taste all that good. I think you would have tasted better without it." She smiled, knowing he kept it beside the bed for when he needed a little 'personal relief'.

Ryan went bright red thinking back to what she had caught him doing on Friday. And it was indeed the offending lotion. But then remembering her reaction he thought he wasn't the only one that should be embarrassed. "And what makes you think that I will be tasting this?" he teased.

"Just a suspicion I have." Marissa rolled over and pulled him onto the bed beside her.

"Well I don't have any flavoured lotion so what do you suggest I do?"

"Me." She said as she closed the gap between them and kissed him with all the passion she had in her.

---

A short time later, after their breathing had returned to normal Ryan was lying beside Marissa with his arm around her. She was snuggled in to him, her head resting on his chest. He lay there looking at the ceiling of this room trying to make some sense out of what had happened this weekend.

Not that he was complaining. In some ways it all seemed like a dream. But it was a dream that he didn't want to end. He didn't know what the future held for them but he did know that he couldn't imagine life without her by his side. He also knew it was too soon to tell her that. It would probably freak her out and she would run a mile but the simple fact was…. he thought he loved her…again…still.

He suspected he always had. Even when she'd moved on and broken his heart he still hadn't been able to stop loving her – that was why it had hurt so much. He wondered why she was now back with him. What had happened to make her return? She must have still had some feelings for him. Her actions on Friday night made that obvious. She hadn't changed enough that she would have come on to him like she did… unless she felt something for him. But was it the real thing. How could he tell? Did she envisage this as being something lasting or just a fling to keep her amused while she was in California? He just had to get her to realise that they were meant to be together. He didn't know how he would cope if she chose to return to Europe when the film was finished. But he also knew he couldn't rush things. He didn't want her running off because he was putting too much pressure on her. They would have to take things just one step at a time. But if that was the case, what was the next step? A million things were going through his mind, he just didn't know which way to proceed.

"So when did you want to leave for LA?" He asked.

"Never?" she replied as she rolled on top of him wanting to make the most of their last few hours together.

"I'm afraid that can't happen. Remember that little thing called work. People are going to be looking for us tomorrow."

"Hmmm I guess so." She said as she pushed herself up to sit astride him and began running her hands up and down his chest, drawing patterns on it with her fingers.

"Do I gather from your reluctance to return to LA and work that you've had a…'pleasant'… weekend." He suggested as he caught her hands in his because what she was doing was starting to tickle.

"I'm not sure if 'pleasant' is the word for it?" she looked him in the eyes losing herself in their depths. She could feel herself melt and the warm sensation between her legs was definitely heating up. How did he do that with just a look?

"Well how would you describe it?"

"Hmmmm…. I'm not sure of the word… But how about we use this weekend as a bench mark and next weekend we could see if we could do better?" she suggested with a saucy smile.

"Better hey? You think there is room for improvement?" he teased.

"Hmmm I see your point. Maybe we should check the Guinness Book of Records. We might be able to go for the most sex in 48 hours."

"I think we may have just set that." He laughed "What am I going to do with you?" He said sitting up to kiss her.

"I can think of a few things." She replied as she wrapped her arms and legs around him, to stop him from lying down again and moved her heat to rub against his groin. She began grinding herself from side to side. She could feel him hardening beneath her and moved her hips to rub against him again.

"Whoa there…Not now…. Come on….. Shower… and then we have to get going." He smiled as he kissed her to soften his words, wanting to make sure she understood he wasn't saying no, just postponing it.

"I think I've already got you going." Marissa smiled as she slightly raised herself and then used her hand to stroke his hardness. As she looked at him and noticed the sparkle in his eyes she positioned his hardness so that as she lowered herself back down, he pushed inside her.

"Argh." He moaned as he felt her hotness surround his most sensitive part. "I think… I'm …completely …defence…less… around… you." He replied between kisses and he started to move inside her. He used his hands to help her rock as he began to thrust inside her.

"Hm….I… like…. That… idea." She said as she rocked on top of him until she could feel herself go over the edge. Ryan followed soon after, holding her to him until the shudders subsided.

"Uh... Do you think we could try that shower now?" he asked smiling as he kissed her.

"Hmm. I like the showering idea…. as long as it's with you." She batted her eyelids at him.

He laughed as he got out of bed. "You're insatiable."

She looked at him and pouted.

He grabbed her and added "And I love it."


	17. The Sleepover

**The Sleepover **

It was 11 by the time they left and as they reversed out of the driveway Marissa looked at Ryan.

"Promise we can come back here."

"Sure next weekend if you like. I usually spend my weekends here unless I have something special on."

"Good. But I don't like the thought of you having anything on but me. Am I special?" she teased.

"You know you're special." He smiled at her.

They drove in silence for a while, each with their own thoughts. Although both would have been surprised at how similar those thoughts were. They were both starting to have some concerns about how things would be once they got back to the 'real world'.

Marissa's phone started to ring. She looked at it and answered. "Yeah Summ"

"Where are you guys? I thought you were leaving the Cohen's just after us?"

"We did. Um... but we sort of got waylaid at hom… I mean Ryan's." she said stopping herself before it came out. It had been about to slip out so easily. If only it was her home too, she thought.

"Waylaid huh. I bet that wasn't the only thing getting laid." Summer teased. "Haven't you two had enough?"

Marissa smiled looking at Ryan. "Never."

"Well how far away are you?"

"We've only just left Newport. Why?"

"Well…it's just… we've been waiting for you. We were wanting to go to bed… if you know what I mean… and I don't think it's fair that our sex life is suffering while yours is obviously ….flourishing? Is that the word?" she suggested. "At this rate Seth will be asleep before you even get here."

"Sorry Summ. But I don't think the car can all of a sudden sprout wings."

"Well…how about you stay at Ryan's for the night. I'll lend you some clothes in the morning and then you can just come to work with me."

"Sounds fine to me. I'll just see if Ryan minds." Even after the weekend they had spent together she still felt a bit strange asking to stay with him.

"As if he is going to complain about having you in his bed for an extra night…. Although maybe he needs to recuperate?" Summer suggested.

Ryan turned to look at Marissa. "Is there a problem?"

"Um Since it's getting late, Summer and Seth were going to go to bed and she was wondering if it would be alright if I stayed with you for the night and then went to work with her in the morning?"

"Sounds great to me" he smiled.

Marissa smiled "Okay Summ…I'll see you in the morning."

---

Marissa fell asleep on the way back and when Ryan reached his apartment they managed to get into the garage with no incidents. There were a couple of photographers at the front entrance but Ryan drove straight through to the carpark security entrance and as they had hoped, nobody recognised the car so no one followed them.

Ryan parked the car and came around to help Marissa out. He opened the door.

"Hey sleepyhead. We're here."

Marissa looked up at him still half asleep.

"Come on. I'll help you or do you want me to carry you?" he asked.

"I'm fine." She said. But as she tried to get out of the car, she stumbled and he caught her. He put his arm around her and she lent against him.

He steadied her as they rode to the penthouse in its private lift. As he opened the door she tried to look around her but she was still half asleep.

"Come on. I'll help you to bed."

She hesitated. Suddenly unsure as to where her bed would be. Would he want to share his bed with her or would he want her to use a guest room? Even after all that had happened between them over the weekend she was still not sure about where things stood. It was like they had been to some fantasy land and they had now returned to real life. She was basically awake but decided to pretend to be still asleep because she didn't want to make the choice awkward for him.

Ryan didn't hesitate. He put his arm around her and escorted her into the main bedroom. Even with her eyes only half open she could see that it had the most amazing view of the surrounding city. Ryan pulled back the covers and sat her on the edge of the bed and slowly removed her clothes. She knew she was exhausted and needed sleep and yet every touch from him sent an electric shock through her. When she was completely naked he lay her down and then pulled the covers over her. RYan divested himself of his clothes and a few seconds later she felt him hop in the other side of the bed and snuggle up to her. He curled himself around her and she drifted off to sleep with a smile etched onto her face.

---

They were woken in the morning by the phone and it was Summer to warn them she was on the way up with some clothes for Marissa.

"I guess one of us is going to have to meet her at the door" Ryan said.

"Well given your state of dress, I think it better be me." Marissa smiled.

"Why? You're no better."

"Yeah. But I'm not letting her see you like that. I'm selfish. I want to keep you all to myself. She might get ideas if she sees you like that. I know, I certainly do…. so who could blame her?" Marissa smiled as she got out of bed. "Do you mind if I just borrow your shirt for a minute?"

"Go right ahead. But I'm warning you. You do remember what happened the last time you wore my clothes?" he said thinking back to their kitchen counter efforts at Newport.

Marissa turned and smiled seductively at him. "Why do you think I asked? I'm counting on it" she turned towards the door "…. I'll be right back."

She stopped and turned back to him "Um… Where's the front door?"

"I forgot. We didn't actually have time for the tour last night did we? Someone was a little out of it." He smiled.

"Well …you tired me out...It was a big weekend…It wasn't really my fault." She replied making excuses.

"Don't try to put all the blame on me." He replied looking at her in his button down shirt, still naked underneath. She looked sexy as hell and all he wanted to do was pull her back in to bed with him.

"Okay. Maybe I was a little to blame too but… again…how do I find the door?"

"Just turn right and go to the end of the hall and you'll be in the entrance foyer." He smiled looking at her beautiful legs disappearing up in to his shirt.

She smiled and moved back out the door, knowing his eyes were still upon her.

Marissa made her way to the front door and opened it just as Summer emerged from the lift.

"Here you go. I figure one of these should fit. If you have any problems just come on down to our place and we'll have another look."

"Okay, thanks Summ."

"No probs. But we need to leave about 7:30 to get to work on time. Do you think you can tear yourself away from lover boy by then?" Summer asked, teasing her friend.

"Well it'll be difficult. But I'll try." Marissa smiled.

"Okay. So I'll meet you in the car park."

"Yeah sure. I'll see you then."

Marissa closed the door and made her way back inside and placed the clothes on the sofa in the lounge and then went back into the bedroom. Ryan was lying on his stomach looking out the floor to ceiling windows at the amazing cityscape in front of him.

"What are you up to?" Marissa asked.

"I was just admiring the view." He smiled turning his head to look at her.

She looked down at him. His naked arms and torso making her stomach do belly flops. The sheet was draped loosely over him but was barely covering his bum. Marissa walked up and pulled off the sheet so she could have a good look.

"Now so am I" she smiled as she slowly started to unbutton Ryan's shirt she was wearing. She took it off and held it at arm's length hooked over the end of her finger. She dropped it on the floor, knowing he was watching her every move.

"I hope you are planning on coming back to bed?" He said as he reached for her.

"But I don't seem to be tired any more." She replied innocently.

"I'll do my best to fix that." He said as he pulled her in to him.

---

After they had showered and dressed, they were in the kitchen having coffee and bagels when Marissa looked at her watch. And said "I'd better get moving I have to meet Summer in the car park at 7:30."

"Okay …. Well not okay. I'd rather just stay here with you for the whole day but I guess you're right. But what about after work? Do you have any plans?" he asked.

"No. Why…have you got a suggestion?" She smiled thinking to herself she hoped it was indecent.

"Well…how about you come back home with Summer after work and I'll cook you dinner?"

"Sounds good to me." She smiled, knowing it would give her something to look forward to all day.

"And maybe you could drop past the hotel and pick up some of your things and then… you know…. if you are feeling tired you could always stay the night." he suggested shyly.

She smiled. "Okay. Sounds good. But I really have to be going or Summer and I will both be late. I'll see you tonight." She gave him a lingering kiss and grabbed her bag and walked out the door.

Ryan watched her as she left, unable to remove the smile from his face. He couldn't wait to see her again.

---

Ryan left for work a short time later and as he stepped out of the lift onto his office floor he made his way past Annabel.

"Good morning, Annabel."

"Good morning Ryan. It looks like someone had a relaxing weekend." She suggested noticing the smile on his face.

Ryan realised he was going to have to watch this smiling thing. It was a dead set giveaway apparently. First Seth and now Annabel. But he didn't know if relaxing was the word to describe his weekend. It had probably been more physically exerting than any weekend in the last couple of years. But he certainly wasn't about to share that with Annabel.

"It was very… 'pleasant'" he replied thinking back to his earlier conversation with Marissa. "How was yours?"

"Same as usual… But thanks for asking?" she smiled thinking that was the first time he had ever asked. Ryan never asked personal questions about her life. Maybe he was starting to think of her as more than just an employee.

"Okay well I'd better get to work. I know I have a lot to do." Ryan replied as he moved towards the door of his office.

"Yes. I left the documents on your desk for your meeting this evening."

"Ryan looked at her puzzled. Tonight?"

"Yeah. Those government officials are flying in from Washington DC to see you and you said the only time you could fit them in was at 5 tonight."

"Damn." He frowned "I made other plans."

Annabel was stunned. Ryan never made plans without checking with her first. What was going on with him? "I think it may be too late to reschedule them. They are probably already on their flight, and you have already moved the meeting a couple of times."

"Yeah I know. I'll have to meet with them this time. The project is too important. I'll just have to cancel my other plans."

"Did you want me to do that for you?" Annabel asked.

"No I'll take care of it myself."

Ryan walked in to his office and closed the door.

He looked at the documents in front of him and knew he couldn't postpone the meeting. Too much was riding on it. He was just going to have to miss out on seeing Marissa tonight. He picked up his phone and dialled her number.

After a number of rings it went to voicemail and he listened to her greeting and smiled amazed at the amount of pleasure he got just from listening to her voice. He waited to leave his message.

"Yeah Riss it's me. Look I'm really sorry but I forgot I had a meeting this evening…. I'm not sure I was thinking straight on the weekend….I'm going to have to postpone?...Um... I'll talk to you later."

He couldn't believe how disappointed he was at the thought of even 1 night without her.

He sat their looking at the phone and thinking back over the weekend. And felt terrible about letting her down. He wondered if she would be as disappointed as he was. And he made a decision.

He pushed the page button on his phone. Annabel immediately answered. "Yes Ryan. Did you want your coffee now?"

"Umm yeah that would be great. But also, could you give me the number of the florist we use?"

"If you need to send some flowers, I can do that for you."

"No. Thanks…but I'd rather do it myself. If you could just get me the number?"

"Certainly. Right away." Annabel replied. She knew it wasn't Kirsten's birthday or Summer's as she had them in her diary to remind him. So just who was he sending flowers to? The little green monster of jealousy was sitting on her shoulder as she wrote the florists number on a post it to give to Ryan along with his coffee but then she reassured herself that he had shown more personal interest in her this morning than he had in a long time, if ever.

She took in his coffee and the number and placed them on his desk.

"Are you sure you don't want me to look after this for you? I know you have a lot on your plate at the moment."

"No I'm fine……but thank you, I probably don't tell you enough how much I appreciate all you do for me."

She beamed as she made her way back to her desk. He definitely was different this morning. Maybe things were really looking up for them.

Ryan dialled the florist. "Hi. I'd like to get some flowers delivered."


	18. Doubts creep in

**Doubts creep in.**

Marissa had a very busy morning at work. She knew it was made more difficult by the fact that she didn't seem to be able to go 2 minutes without thinking about Ryan. He was distracting even though he wasn't there.

When lunch came she got out her phone to call Summer and check if she had some time to join her and she realised she had a missed call. She thought about the fact that she had felt like a 15 year old school girl most of the day because all she had wanted to do was send Ryan text messages.

She couldn't wait to listen to the voicemail. Just to hear his voice. She called her mail box and retrieved her message "Yeah Riss it's me. Look I'm really sorry but I forgot I had a meeting this evening…. I'm not sure I was thinking straight on the weekend….I'm going to have to postpone dinner...Um... I'll talk to you later."

She played it again. What did he mean he wasn't thinking straight on the weekend? Did that mean he regretted it and if so exactly what did he regret? Spending time with her…. Sleeping with her…. Did he really have something on or was he just avoiding her? Like he did last week… He'd said that was work…But how did she really know? All her insecurities started to come to the surface. Where she had been starving before the call, now she wasn't interested in food. She sat in her dressing room going over everything in her mind.

She thought they had really connected on the weekend. But maybe it was all in her imagination. There's no doubt she had come back to LA hoping that they might get back together. But she had never imagined it would happen so soon or with such intensity. Hell they had probably made love as many times over the weekend as she had in her entire life up to now. But she couldn't get enough of him. It was like she'd be waiting for him and only him.

Had she scared him off? Maybe it was all moving too fast for him. He seemed to have been enjoying it just as much as she was. But maybe that's just a guy thing. Maybe they always enjoy it. It's not like she was playing hard to get…Hell…. Exactly the opposite was closer to the truth. Maybe he didn't like women that made the first move…. Although he hadn't put up much resistance….

She rubbed her forehead feeling a headache coming on. She picked up her phone again and called Summer.

"Hi."

"Hi. What's up?" Summer asked hearing the disappointment evident in Marissa's voice. "Bad day at work?"

"No. It's nothing."

"Coop. This is me. You know. The one that knows when you're lying."

"Hm."

"So…What is it? If it's not work then I'm guessing it has something to do with Chino?"

"Why would you think that?" Marissa asked.

"Because nothing or should I say no one, can pick you up and put you down like that boy." Summer explained.

"Yeah…I guess you right. It's just…"

"I'm waiting…."

"Sorry…I got a message from him to say that he had a meeting tonight and he had to postpone dinner."

"Coop. This isn't the end of the world. I know you probably don't realise it but he really is a very high powered businessman. And he didn't get that way by working 9 to 5. I think maybe you are over-reacting."

"Yeah…it's just …"

"Just what? There's obviously more to this… so… just out with it."

"Well he said, I think the words were 'I wasn't thinking straight on the weekend'. I mean what does that mean? Do you think he regrets what happened between us?"

"No I don't. From the look on his face and the fact that he couldn't take his eyes off you, I think he probably just meant he forgot the meeting because the pair of you were so busy bonking your brains out he couldn't think of anything else."

Marissa laughed. "Summer! I wouldn't put it that way."

"Well how would you put it?"

'Um" Marissa went quiet. She couldn't quite find the word to describe what went on between them but she was almost ashamed to admit Summer wasn't far off the mark.

"Yeah… Exactly…. My case rests. So will you please not over react until you at least have a chance to talk to him?"

"Yeah sorry….. So I guess I won't need a ride tonight after all. I can just go back to the hotel in the studio car with Jake."

"Are you sure you don't want me to take you?"

"No. It's out of your way. I'll be fine."

Summer sensed that Marissa still wasn't completely reassured so she said "Why don't you come home with me anyhow and have dinner with Seth and I?"

"Thanks…but I should probably just have an early night. I need the rest… as you've just reminded me. I did have a strenuous weekend…...And I should probably ring Mum. I haven't spoken to her for a few days. She'll be wondering what's happened to me."

"Are you actually going to tell her just what you've been up to because if you are I want to be there for the reaction. You could put it on speaker phone and sell tickets to the event." Summer laughed.

"I don't think telling my mother would be a good idea. It could cause fireworks of a magnitude big enough to melt the phone lines between here and the UK. I don't want to be responsible for that." Marissa suggested.

"So I'm guessing she's still not a fan of Chino's."

"You could say that."

"It amazes me that even though he's a multi-millionaire, she still doesn't think he is good enough for you. And here I was all these years thinking she was just money hungry. There is obviously another side to her."

"Summ. This is my mother you're talking about." Marissa said in Julie's defence.

"Yeah. I know. There's nobody else I know that I could say that about. She really is unique."

"Unfortunately, you're probably right. But she's the only mother I've got. So I have to make the best of it."

"Okay. Then you go and have an early night and I'll see you tomorrow. Try not to worry too much about Ryan. At least give him a chance to talk to you and explain. ….And say hi to your Mum from me too."

"Okay. Ciao." Marissa replied and closed up her phone.

---

Marissa got a lift back to the hotel with Jake in the studio's limo and regretted not having taken Summer up on her offer of dinner. Anything to avoid him. He really was insufferable. She couldn't wait to get away from him.

As soon as they pulled up to the hotel she was out the door and made her way over to collect her key.

"Ah Ms Cooper. We just had a delivery for you. I was just going to get someone to take it up to your room."

"That's fine. I can take it." Marissa replied thinking it was probably a letter from Julie.

"Um Maybe not. It is extremely large."

"Sorry. What is it?" Marissa asked.

He walked out the back and returned a minute later with a beautiful cut crystal vase with about 30 long stem deep pink roses.

Marissa immediately blushed. She knew they were from Ryan. Not many people knew that these were her favourite flowers. Not red, not pink but a mixture of the two. She looked for the card and without reading it she slipped it in the pocket of her jeans.

"Um Thank you. I think I can manage." She said lifting the vase off the counter.

"Are you sure? I can get someone to help you with them."

"No. I'll be fine. She picked them up and went to turn around. But because she couldn't see properly she walked in to someone standing behind her."

"I'm so sorry" she said as she moved the vase to one side to look at the person she had collided with.

"Please don't be. I rather liked it." Jake said. "So aren't you a lucky lady? Is it your birthday?" he asked.

"Um no". Marissa walked past him and made her way to the lift.

Unfortunately while she waited for it to arrive, Jake collected his room key and joined her.

"So who are they from?" he asked.

"A friend." Marissa smiled wondering if she said 'boyfriend' just what Jake's reaction would be. But they had agreed to keep things quiet until they sorted things out between them and after the message today, they definitely had things to sort out.

"Male or female?" Jake asked as the lift arrived and they got in.

"None of your business." Marissa replied.

"Don't you realise I intend to make you my business." He stated.

"How often do I have to tell you? I'm not interested." Marissa stressed.

"I like a girl who plays hard to get." He added.

"I'm not playing." She said as they arrived at her floor. "I'm serious."

"Where were you all weekend anyhow?" he asked.

"I went away."

"Well I guess that explains why you didn't answer my calls" Jake replied and then added. "Are you gay?"

"What? No." Marissa replied surprised at his question.

"Then let me assure you I can make you interested in me." He suggested.

"Look Jake, just leave me alone."

Jake held the door of the lift open and added "You'll keep. But remember, this isn't finished."

---

Marissa couldn't get inside her room fast enough. She locked the door just in case he decided to come back. He really gave her the creeps. She was not going to travel with him in the limo anymore. She would ring Summer and get her to swing past and pick her up in the morning. She knew she couldn't do much at work about him but she felt at least if she made sure there were other people around all the time then surely he wouldn't actually try anything.

She put the vase down on the table in her room and pulled the envelope from her pocket. She ripped it open and removed the small card. It read "Thanks for a 'pleasant' weekend. Thinking of you."

Marissa sat down on the end of the bed and just kept rereading it over and over again. She could feel her eyes start to water and she realised just how concerned she had been after the phone message earlier. Even though she had listened to what Summer had said there was a part of her that had still been preparing herself for the worst. That he was somehow trying to distance himself from her. But looking at the beautiful roses before her she knew that wasn't the case. She couldn't wait to see him again. But at least she now knew that she would have a goodnights sleep dreaming of him not tossing and turning imagining the worst.

She looked at the phone beside the bed with its flashing light and realised that she had some messages. Hoping that she may have one from Ryan she keyed in her access code to listen to them.

Jake's voice came over the line. "Hey doll face. How about you and me getting a bite to eat tonight….and it doesn't necessarily have to be food. I'd be happy to have you eat me any day of the week or weekend as the case might be. Give me a call when you get in."

Marissa quickly moved to the next message.

"Marissa. Where are you? I haven't heard from you for a few days and I wanted to know how things are going? I think you could at least spare the time to call your mother. You do only have one. And I just want to remind you about my advice. You know I know a lot more about these things than you? Anyhow give me a call." Marissa pushed the button to move to the next message making a mental note to call Julie after she'd had her shower.

"Marissa. It's me again. Where are you? I'm starting to lose my patience. You needn't bother thinking you can give me the run around. I'm used to getting what I want. And I want you. So just make it easy on yourself and come visit me. I promise you'll enjoy it. I really do have quite a reputation for being able to satisfy a woman."

Marissa felt the goose bumps on her arms. Jake really gave her the creeps. Surely he was all talk and would never actually try anything. But she was starting to wonder. She decided to have a shower and order dinner from room service. She wasn't going to chance running in to Jake in one of the hotel's restaurants. Thinking of him, she picked up her phone and called Summer.

"Hey Coop. Don't tell me? You melted the US to UK phone lines?"

"No. I haven't even called her yet. So it's still a possibility."

"Okay so what can I do for you?"

"Um… I was wondering if I could maybe get a lift to work with you in the morning. If it's not too far out of your way, that is?"

"No. That's fine. But is there a problem?" Summer asked sensing Marissa's anxiousness.

"Let's just say I had a conversation with Jake that I'd rather not repeat. He really doesn't understand the whole concept of not interested. I mean, could the man be anymore full of himself? He actually asked me was I gay, as if that's the only reason that I could possibly have for not wanting to go out with him."

"Don't say I didn't warn you. But you're right to stay away from him. There's something about him. I don't think I would like to see him pushed too far. I'm not sure how he would react."

"Yeah. I know what you mean. So you're sure it won't be a problem in the morning?" Marissa asked.

"No. It's fine. I'll pick you up about 7:30."

"Okay. And Summ."

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you come up to my room? I have something to show you."

"What? You and Chino aren't into kinky things like taking videos of your weekend or anything are you, cause I really don't think I want to see either of you like that." She laughed.

"No. Nothing like that. How can you even suggest it? You know how much Ryan likes having his photo taken." Marissa replied.

"Yeah. That's right. So what is it?" Summer asked her curiosity piqued.

"Well…I just wanted to show you that you were right."

"Aren't I always?"

"Yeah and modest." Marissa replied.

"Ha ha. So just what was I right about this time?"

"Well I have in front of me a beautiful cut crystal vase full of the most beautiful roses you have ever seen."

"Aw. From Chino I gather?"

"Yeah. So maybe you were right and he really does just have something on. I mean he wouldn't have sent me these otherwise would he?" Marissa asked still trying to find some more reassurance that there couldn't be another reason.

"Not unless he's gotten confused and thought it was your birthday." Summer suggested.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just Kirsten and I both usually get flowers sent to us on our birthdays. But I figure they probably come from Annabel."

"Who's Annabel?" Marissa asked.

"Aw… I forgot. You haven't met her yet. Now there's someone you shouldn't expect a big welcome from." Summer replied.

"Why? Who is she?" Marissa asked wondering why someone she didn't even know would maybe not like her.

"She Ryan's secretary and unless I'm mistaken … Which you know I rarely am … she'd like to be a whole lot more." Summer stated "But of course he's never even noticed." She added not wanting Marissa to start worrying again.

"Hm… So do you think she will be friend or foe?"

"Unfortunately foe. But maybe I'll be wrong. But listen I've got to go and check on dinner. I'll see you in the morning. Have fun tonight. Remember to say hi to your mum from me."

"Okay see you tomorrow."

---

After her shower, Marissa picked up her phone and dialled the number in England. After a couple of rings, Julie answered.

"Julie Cooper Nicol."

"Hey Mum."

"Marissa. Thank God. I've was starting to get worried. I haven't heard from you for a few days. I even rang your hotel looking for you."

"Sorry Mum. I've been really busy" Marissa replied quite liking that fact that her mother had actually been missing her.

"Well… If you notice any wrinkles next time you see me then you'll know that you are responsible young lady."

Marissa smiled to herself. Only her mother could give and take with the same hand. Julie could see it only in terms of what effect it would have on Julie. Marissa wondered was her mother always so self centred and decided that she probably was.

"I'm sure your beautician can fix that in no time, Mum."

"Well. You do know I like to look my best. And I'm afraid wrinkles are definitely not part of the image I like to give out."

"Mum, You know you are an amazing looking woman for you're age. But it really would be okay to start to look a little older, you know. You do have a 25 year old daughter."

"Don't remind me. I sometimes wonder how that ever happened."

"Well do you need me to explain? I could do a birds and the bees talk for you." Marissa smiled thinking there was probably not much she could tell Julie about sex. Although after the weekend with Ryan she certainly felt that her own education had taken a massive leap forward.

"Don't be ridiculous. You know that's not what I mean."

"Yeah. Just think, if I had fallen pregnant at the same age that you did, I could have a seven year old child right now." Marissa stated, all of a sudden envisaging a little boy with sandy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. It surprised her that she quite liked the idea.

"And wouldn't that have destroyed your life?" Julie remarked.

"Did it destroy yours?" Marissa asked wondering had Julie regretted having Marissa at such a young age.

"Well…let's just say it has been different to how I imagined it." Julie chose her words carefully not wanting to upset Marissa. They had taken quite a while to arrive at the relationship they now had and she didn't want to risk anything destroying it. That was why she was so concerned about Marissa being in LA. She knew that Marissa would never forgive her if she found out about Julie's involvement in getting rid Ryan. She thought she had done the right thing at the time. Who would've ever suspected that the boy from Chino would go on to become a multi-millionaire. And hot as hell as well from the pictures she had seen in the magazines. No wonder he was at the top of the hottest bachelor's lists. Hell if she hadn't been vitally involved in the split she would probably be encouraging Marissa to try to get back together with him. But she couldn't take the risk. Her daughter was too important to her. "So how was your weekend?" she asked wanting to change the subject.

"Good. I actually had lunch on Sunday at the Cohen's." Marissa figured she might as well give her mother something and then maybe she would stop asking for details.

Julie started to panic but she reassured herself. Marissa couldn't possibly know anything because she wouldn't be being so nice to Julie if anything had come out. "So who was there?" she asked.

Marissa knew exactly what Julie wanted to know but she wasn't going to make it easy on her. "All the gang. It was just like old times." Marissa added.

Julie realised that Marissa was not going to make it easy for her but she had to know "So was he there?"

Marissa smiled to herself. She knew Julie wouldn't be able to help herself. "Who? Sandy?"

"No You know who. Ryan. Was he there?" Julie asked starting to get angry. She knew Marissa was playing with her but she had to know.

"Yes he was."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Well. Did you talk to him much?"

"Um No." Marissa thought that that wasn't too far from the truth. If you thought about how much time they had been together and how much time they had spent actually talking then it really hadn't been much. Thank goodness her mother hadn't asked had she spent much time in bed with him or naked with him, because the answer to that would have been completely different.

"That was fast I thought it might at least take you a few weeks before you got in touch with him." Julie suggested. Marissa smiled thinking if only Julie realised just how in touch she had been and even more importantly just what she had touched first. She was shocked even now to think about what she had done on Friday night when they hadn't even kissed. Even in her wildest dreams, and she'd had many over the last 7 years, she had never imagined that the first kiss she would give Ryan would be on that part of his anatomy and not on this mouth. But when she had walked in on him … it seemed the most natural thing in the world to do and if she went back again, she wouldn't change a thing. They had spent too many years apart to go on pretending that they didn't need one another. She wanted to make up for lost time.

"So do you have plans to see him again?" Julie asked.

"At this point, no." Marissa replied honestly. She didn't know when she would see him again, she just hoped it was soon.

"Good. Just make sure you keep away from him. He will only break your heart again. And I know you don't want that… Now tell me some more about Jake Hammond. Is he just as gorgeous in real life as he is on a film screen?"

"Ugh. I really don't want to go there but let me assure you that I will never and I repeat never, have anything to do with him as long as I live. The only bad part about work is the fact that I have to see him everyday."

"Hmm. They sound like fairly intense feelings. You do know that love and hate both bring out intense feelings. Perhaps you are just not looking at things the right way."

"Mum. You have no idea what you are talking about. But anyhow, I have to go my dinner's getting cold. I'll talk to you later in the week. Oh. By the way Summer said to say hi."

"Well that was very nice of her. Please keep in touch and remember what I said." Julie stressed.

"Yeah, whatever. Bye" Marissa placed the phone back down as she hung up. She really didn't understand just what Julie had against Ryan. After all this time she thought that she would have softened towards him. He had never done anything to Julie except stand up for Marissa. But surely there must be more to it……….


	19. The unwanted visitor

**The unwanted visitor**

Tuesday morning Marissa woke to the scent of roses filling the room. She smiled to herself thinking of Ryan and the delicious dreams she'd had of the two of them together. She hoped that she would hear from him today. She got up and got ready and was just putting the finishing touches to her makeup knowing it was after 7 when she heard a knock at the door.

"Coming" she rushed to open it for Summer only to find Jake standing there.

She went to close the door but he put his foot inside and pushed the door open.

"Now that's not very nice. I'm sure I deserve a better welcome than that." Jake said advancing into the room.

Marissa just glared at him

"I have a few questions for you." He stated.

"Jake don't you understand I am not interested in you and I don't have to answer any of your questions." Marissa replied trying to sound assertive but feeling a little intimidated nonetheless.

"And I've already told you that I AM interested in you and that's all that really matters." He moved his hand from behind his back and in it was a folded newspaper. He threw it onto the bed in front of her. "Would you like to explain this?"

She looked down. On the page in front of her was a photo obviously taken in the lane behind the diner when they were running to Seth's car on Sunday? Summer was in front. Following was Ryan holding Marissa's hand and pulling her along just behind him. The caption on the photo said. "Is our hottest bachelor looking to end his bachelor days or is this just his latest accessory?"

"So...Just what's this about?" Jake asked pointing at the photo.

"It's none of your business Jake."

"Again. I told you. I intend to make you my business Marissa. I'm not used to being run around like this. I think maybe its time I showed you just what you're missing out on."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him and as she raised her other arm to try to hit him he grabbed that wrist as well holding her arms behind her. Marissa was trying with all her might to twist out of the vice like grips he had on her but to no avail. He was too much stronger. She turned her head as she saw him start to lower his mouth towards her.

"Jake. Let me go." She screamed.

"When I've finished with you then I'll let you go" he replied as he brought his mouth down to hers trying to force her lips apart with his tongue.

All of a sudden the door flew open "LET HER GO!" Summer yelled.

Jake turned stunned that there was someone else in the room.

"Get out Summer. This has nothing to do with you. Unless you've decided to give that 3 way a go after all." He sneered.

"Jake. You have 10 seconds and then I call the police. What'll it be?" Summer asked as she held her phone in front of her.

Jake looked at Summer and then back at Marissa. "Aw. You're not worth it." He let her go and started to make his way to the door. As he was about to go out, he turned and said. "Don't think this is over yet. I'll be back for round 2." and he closed the door behind him.

Marissa collapsed on to the bed stunned. Summer sat beside her and put her arm around her.

"Are you all right?"

Marissa nodded. "Yeah. Thanks to you. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't walked in that door." She reached behind her and picked up the paper. "Have you seen this?"

"Yeah. That's part of the reason that I'm so early. I thought I should warn you. And there's about 50 reporters downstairs hanging around obviously wanting to talk to you."

"Argh. So much for keeping it quiet. And I still don't even know what 'it' is." she replied rubbing her wrists that were already starteing to show signs of bruising.

"Have you spoken to Ryan?" Summer asked.

"No. Not since yesterday morning." Marissa replied still sitting on the bed obviously shaken from her run in with Jake.

"Okay well first things first. You need to pack all your gear so we can get you out of here."

"But where will I go?" Marissa asked.

"Well you're not staying here. I'm thinking Ryan's."

"I can't Summer. I don't want to put that sort of pressure on him."

"Okay then. Come and stay with Seth and I. There is no way you are staying anywhere near that sleaze."

Marissa nodded. She couldn't argue with that. "Okay and thanks."

"No trouble. I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing you were anywhere near that creep."

Marissa grabbed her bags and started to throw her things in. While she was doing it Summer was looking around the room to see what she might have missed.

"You do know you have some messages."

"Yeah I wasn't sure how to delete them. Mind you I should have realised from a couple that Jake left over the weekend that he really has a wire loose. Have a listen if you like." Marissa keyed in the access code and put the phone on speaker.

Jakes voice filled the room. "Hey doll face. How about you and me getting a bite to eat tonight….and it doesn't necessarily have to be food. I'd be happy to have you eat me any day of the week or weekend as the case might be. Give me a call when you get in."

Summer listened to the rest of the messages and turned to her friend. "Why didn't you tell me last night about these? You should never have stayed here. I'm just going to get Seth to drop by. He can help us get out through the crowd downstairs plus it will be easier to fit your luggage in the Range Rover. Then you and I can just go to work in my car."

"But I don't want to bother anyone." Marissa replied.

"It won't be a bother. He's got nothing better to do anyhow. You go and pack your gear in the bathroom and I'll just give him a call."

"Okay thanks. And by the way did you like my roses?"

"Yeah. I think that boy has it real bad." Summer added knowing Marissa needed a little reassurance.

Marissa smiled and made her way into the bathroom to finish packing.

---

Summer called Seth and explained what had happened. He said he would be right over. On the way to the hotel Seth called Ryan.

"Hello." Ryan answered "Seth this better be good. I was up half the night with some big wigs from Washington. I really need to get some more sleep."

"Yeah. Well wakey, wakey. Cause it is good …..or bad depending on how you look at it. "

"Okay. ……what is it?"

"Well how should I put it. …….."

"Seth ……. I'm waiting."

"Uh huh well. I'll start with the little one and then build up to the big one."

"Seth… out with it. Or so help me I'll hunt you down and strangle you with my bare hands."

"Ryan don't you know you're idle threats don't work with me?"

"Seth…..I'm going to hang up and go back to sleep."

"Okay. Well number 1. The shit has hit the fan."

"What? What are you talking about?" Ryan said instantly awake,

"Well the front page of the Globe has a picture of you and Marissa hand in hand running to my car in the lane on Sunday."

"Aw No. I thought when nothing appeared yesterday that we were home free."

"Yeah well my guess is that whoever owned the photo was hanging out for more money. And so Summer tells me there are about 50 reporters at Marissa's hotel all wanting to talk to her."

"Oh no. So how's she taking it?"

"Well you see….. that's the big thing."

"What? Has it totally freaked her out? I know she was really spooked about all the commotion on Sunday at the diner. I don't want her to have to cope with all this."

"Well she is freaked out. But not about this. I'm sure this is nothing compared to the other."

"Seth are you actually speaking English? Because I'm having an awful lot of trouble understanding what you are going on about."

"Yeah well. I don't quite know how to tell you the next part."

"Seth…"

"Okay. So are you sitting down?"

"Seth. I'm lying down. I had actually thought there may be a chance of going back to sleep but I guess you've effectively removed any chance of that."

"Yeah well I don't think sleep will be on your mind when you hear the next part."

"What next part. There's more?"

"Mate we've still got the main course to go."

"Seth just out with it"

"Okay you asked for it. Summer had been going to give Marissa a lift to work this morning because Jake Hammond had been giving Marissa a pretty hard time last night, so she didn't want to have to travel in the studio limo with him."

"And.." Ryan said sitting up in bed. The mere mention of Marissa's name making him fully alert.

"Well she was supposed to pick her up at 7:30 and Marissa had told her to go up to her room. It seems she had some flowers that she wanted Summer to see. Nice touch by the way man. You really are pulling out all stops on this one." Seth added.

"Seth get to the point."

"Well. After seeing this mornings paper Summer decided to go over early so that she could warn Marissa. You know …about the paper…"

"And…"

"Well it would seem that she was just in time."

"What do you mean just in time. For what?"

"Well I don't want you to over react."

"Seth…"

"Well apparently Jake had forced himself into Marissa's room. He had the paper with him and was unhappy that she had been seen with someone else when he had been asking her out and she had always refused to go. When Summer arrived he was trying to force himself on her. He hadn't got very far fortunately. Summer threatened to call the police and he backed off but said he wasn't finished and that he'd be back for round 2."

"What? Where is Marissa now?"

"Well she's packing. I'm on my way to the hotel to pick her up and then we thought we'd bring her back here until she decides what she wants to do."

"There's no question what she's doing. She's moving in here." Ryan stated clearly.

"What happened to not putting any pressure on her? You don't think that she just might interpret that as pressure?"

Ryan rubbed his brow. "I guess so. I just want to be able to keep an eye on her. If he comes anywhere near her so help me, I'll…."

"Uh Ryan….. I understand. And here I thought that Kid Chino had hung up his gloves. Looks like we just needed Cosmo Girl to come back to town to return his powers."

Ryan smiled. "Yeah I guess my reaction is a little bit old school."

"Yeah. So I figure what I'll do is. I'll pick up Marissa's gear and bring it back to our place. Summer will take the two of them to work and after work tonight we'll meet up here and sort out what to do. Okay?"

"Yeah. I guess. But what about her having to work with him? She can't stay there. I want her to quit. It's not worth the risk."

"Well, I guess you'll have to talk to her about that. Summer said she'll make sure she keeps an eye on her today. I think she intends to be Marissa's shadow."

"Good. So what can I do to help?"

"Probably keep out of the way. I'm sure the press are looking for you as well."

"Yeah. Okay. I'll talk to you later."

---

Ryan immediately called Marissa.

"Hey" she said as she answered her phone.

"Hey yourself. Are you all right?"

Marissa didn't know what to say. She didn't know if she should tell him about what happened. "Yeah…. I'm fine."

Ryan could sense her hesitation. "Riss, I know. Seth called me."

She sighed. "Okay well I'll be fine. There's nothing really wrong. I may have a couple of bruised wrists but other than that, I'm good as new."

"Okay. So when can I see you? Do you want me to come over there now?"

She smiled. She really wanted to say yes. She couldn't believe how much she had missed him and it was barely 24 hours since she'd been with him. But she knew that couldn't happen.

"No. I gather there are already a heap of reporters downstairs. If you showed up I'm guessing that would only get worse."

"Yeah. I know that freaks you out. I'm so sorry for putting you through all this."

"Hey. You're worth it. Aren't you?"

"I don't know. You're the only one that can decide that." He replied.

"Yeah. Well I'm still deciding. But Summer and I have to get to work anyhow so there's really no point in you coming here."

"Why don't you just quit? I'd rather not have him anywhere near you."

"Well first of all it's not that easy. I have a little thing called a contract and anyhow, I'm sure he won't try anything at work. Besides, I like what I'm doing. Why should I let him ruin things just because he is an arsehole?"

"Okay." Ryan smiled to himself. She really did sound fine. He really wanted to see her and hold her, but this wasn't the girl he knew from high school. This was the new improved version and she really did sound like she could cope with all that was going on. "I'll try to drop past and see you today on my way to work. But Riss. I'd really like you to come and stay here with me….." He started to get worried by the quiet at the other end of the phone. Was Seth right that he was putting too much pressure on her? He didn't want her to run away from him. Not when they had just gotten back together. "I know we haven't sorted out everything yet but you can always stay in the guest room. At least I would be able to keep an eye on you."

Marissa turned the suggestion over in her mind. She could think of nothing better than living with him but she didn't think that that was what he was suggesting. This was just the old Ryan Atwood wanting to be her protector. Maybe he did regret the weekend. Well not the sex it was obvious that he enjoyed that but he obviously didn't want her to interpret the invitation as anything more than him taking on the role of protector.

"Well we'll talk about it later. I really have to get to work." She said.

Marissa closed up her phone and felt sad as she realised that she loved him as much or more than she ever did and she couldn't imagine ever leaving him but she felt he wasn't ready for that. She didn't know if she would be better to stay at Summer's rather than with Ryan in a guest room. She knew what happened on Friday when she was supposed to stay in his guest room and she was sure that would happen again. But much as she wanted to be with him maybe they should try to keep their distance until he sorted out just how he felt about her.

All her insecurities were returning. She finished packing and then looked around the room making sure she hadn't missed anything. She looked over at the roses and instantly felt better. She knew they could work it out. Maybe not today. But she had to believe that they would work their way through it all and end up together.

Seth arrived soon after and they decided that he would walk Marissa and Summer down to Summer's car and then come back for all her luggage. Hopefully the reporters would all leave when they saw Marissa go. They would have a field day if they knew what else had happened here this morning. Marissa really didn't need that as well.

"Ready?" Seth asked as they waited for the lift doors to open.

"As ready as I'll ever be." She replied and took a step out with Summer on one side and Seth on the other. A few reporters had managed to get past the hotel security but they just walked straight passed them. The big problem came as they walked outside. There were flashes everywhere and microphones being thrust in Marissa's face but she just kept her head down and continued walking til they got to Summer's car. Seth held Marissa's door for her and as he closed it he said. "Look after yourselves. I'll see you later in the day." And Summer drove off as fast as she could.


	20. Misunderstandings

**Misunderstandings**

Ryan got ready for his day at work thinking back to his conversation with Marissa. Why had she been so hesitant about coming to stay with him? He thought that after the weekend they'd shared that she would have liked the prospect just as much as he did. Was Seth right? Was he putting too much pressure on her? Maybe he should just give her a little space. He desperately wanted to see her but decided to go to work and get a few things done and then he would drop in to the studio and see if she might have lunch with him. He knew he couldn't wait til the evening to see her. He really needed to get a grip. What sort of power did this girl have on him? But he had to get to work. Sandy was coming to swap back cars this morning so he had to be there before Sandy turned up. Ryan picked up Sandy's keys and set off… all the time thinking of what he should do to set things right with Marissa.

Of course what he hadn't been thinking about was that there were paparazzi everywhere as he tried to leave the building. Luckily he still had Sandy's car because he managed to get through most of them before anyone actually realised it was him. But it didn't help when he got to the Atwood Industries building. Everyone was expecting him. Fortunately someone had obviously got in extra security because they were all being held at the main door and not allowed to get in. Ryan drove underneath the building and had to push past a couple of reporters with microphones just to get to the lifts where some of the office security were keeping guard.

"Morning Mr Atwood."

Ryan looked up and recognised Steve, one of the first security officers he had employed. "Hi Steve. Look thanks for doing this. I'm sorry. You seem to have your work cut out for you today."

"That's okay. It's what you pay us for."

"I guess so. But I'm sure you'd prefer a more peaceful life."

"I'm sure you would too. But we'll do our best to make sure that no one bothers you."

"Thanks. I appreciate it." Ryan said as the lift doors closed.

The other guard looked at Steve. "Do you think the papers are right and that he really is going out with that supermodel?" he asked.

"Who knows? But half his luck if he is. Did you see her? She's gorgeous. I wouldn't mind a chance with her."

"Yeah sure. As if she'd be interested in you. But then again, I mean, I'm a guy but even I have to admit he's got everything going for him. I feel kinda sorry for him that everything he does turns into a bit of a circus, thanks to the media."

"Yeah he deserves better. But I think he realises it goes with the territory."

"Yeah you're probably right. Still it could be an interesting day."

As Ryan got out of the lift on his floor he walked up to Annabel.

"Good morning, Ryan." She said not even raising her head. It was like she ignored him even though she was greeting him.

"Morning Annabel. I see we have a little extra attention this morning?" he commented waiting for her to look up.

"Yeah. Well that happens when you are front page news." She replied, again not making eye contact with him.

"That's not really my fault." He said wondering why she seemed to be so off with him. He felt like he was in trouble for something.

"Why? Was it someone else in that photo?" Annabel lifted her head and stared at Ryan, waiting to see his reaction.

"No. I mean it's not as if I asked to have my photo taken. We were actually trying to avoid it. Why do you think we were running away?" he started to feel defensive. Why was he actually defending himself to his secretary? This was ridiculous.

"I have no idea. But then I obviously have no idea of what you do in your personal life at all." She looked at him and glared.

Ryan couldn't believe he was having this conversation. Where was his normally pleasant and efficient secretary? He decided to try to change the subject. "Did you organise the extra security?"

"Yes. There were people everywhere when I arrived at work. I figured our security staff could not handle it. So I got in some contract staff otherwise I doubt you would have even made it into the building." She glared at him again as if daring him to make some complaint.

"Well, I just wanted to thank you. I appreciate you thinking ahead like that." He didn't quite know what to say so he started to make his way to his office.

Just as he reached the door, Annabel added "Of course, if you really are going out with her then we may have to put on extra security permanently."

Ryan turned to look at his normally docile employee and thought back to the issues he still had to sort out with Marissa. "I think it's a bit early for that." He replied and walked into his office and closed the door.

Annabel's face broke into a big smile. At least she knew that it was still early days. Obviously there was nothing serious going on yet. And if she had her way there never would be. Just that thought gave her renewed hope. When she had seen the paper that morning she had thought the worst. She figured that Marissa was the reason he had cancelled the meeting on Friday. But obviously from his comments there was really nothing going on. Maybe he had been out with her, but he probably didn't like her and was going to drop her. He usually didn't go out with anyone for more than a couple of dates. So why should this model be any different. She started to smile, happy in the knowledge that she still had a chance.

Just then the lift doors opened and Sandy walked out.

"Good morning Annabel. What's got you in such a good mood this morning?" Sandy asked noticing the big smile on her face when she was usually little Miss Efficient, pleasant, but that's all.

"I just had some good news" she explained "Were you wanting to see Ryan?"

"Yes if he's in?"

"Certainly. I'll just check if he's available."

She picked up her phone and called Ryan. "Mr Cohen is here to see you."

"Just send him through please, Annabel." Ryan replied still trying to figure out the reason for her behaviour.

She hung up and smiled at Sandy "You can go on through. He's expecting you."

"Thanks." Sandy said and made his way into Ryan's office.

"Hey Sandy."

"Hey Son, what's with Annabel today?"

"Yeah, beats me. Did she give you a hard time too?"

"What? No? She's smiling like a Cheshire Cat. I've never seen her like that."

"She's what?" Ryan shook his head. "I swear to God I don't understand women. She just gave me a bad time about having to put on extra security. You'd think I'd invited all the paparazzi to lunch or something."

"Well. You must have expected something like this to happen, once they found out."

"Yeah. I guess. I was just hoping it would take a bit longer."

"Why does it matter?" Sandy said and shrugged his shoulders.

"Because we haven't really had a chance to talk yet. I mean I don't know how Marissa really feels. I don't want to be answering questions about something that I don't really know the answers to myself."

"You spent all weekend together. What were you doing if you weren't talking?"

Ryan could feel himself starting to blush.

"Aw….. Okay….. I don't really need to know. Please don't answer that." Sandy added realising the answer to his question without being told. "But if that's the case then surely there is only one person you should be talking to and it isn't me. You two should have learnt by now that you need to talk to one another and be honest about your feelings."

"But…" Ryan stammered.

"Look I know she hurt you when she took off before but….I mean… I don't know what exactly happened then, hell…I'm not even sure if you do since you wouldn't talk about it…but…. I'm guessing that you at least….see some future in this relationship?"

Ryan looked at Sandy. He knew he could confide in him. "You know I've never felt about anyone, the way I feel about her."

"Well if that's the case then surely it's worth finding out just exactly how she feels. I'm not suggesting you ask her for a lifetime commitment. But from what I saw on Sunday, you are both still crazy about one another. I think that you're both just scared to admit it in case the other doesn't feel the same. But if one of you isn't prepared to go out on that limb and admit the depth of your feelings, then your relationship will never progress beyond where it is now….. Which I gather is between the sheets" Sandy added trying to lighten the mood.

Ryan blushed again. He let Sandy's words sink in and looked up. "Do you really think we might still have a chance?"

"Honestly?"

"Of course. That's all I ever expect from you." Ryan smiled knowing this man, who was closer to him than his own father, would never lie to him.

"Yes….. In fact, I'm surprised you ever broke up. I always thought you'd be together forever."

"Yeah so did I. But don't you see, that's just it. We weren't. She took off and moved on without me. How do I know that won't happen again?"

"Well, I think you are asking the wrong person. They're the questions you should be asking Marissa."

"Okay, I know you're right….. I guess I'm just scared I mightn't like her answers."

"Well, I think you're better off knowing one way or the other. You two have always seemed to be very good at imagining the worst. Have some faith in your relationship for a change. I have. Actually, so does Kirsten."

"You talked about it with her?" Ryan asked. He valued Kirsten's opinion almost as much as Sandy's. Maybe even more, when it came to Marissa.

"I don't think we've talked about much else for the last 24 hours." Sandy smiled.

"And what does she think?" Ryan couldn't wait to hear.

"Well we both agree that you should be together. I guess Kirsten's just a bit more protective of you. You know that mothering side of her. You can tell Marissa, if she does take off and leave you again then I think Kirsten will hunt her down." He laughed. "It wouldn't be a pleasant sight once she found her."

Ryan smiled. How did he get so lucky? To be taken in by this amazing couple.

"So have you heard about what happened with Jake?"

"Yeah. Seth called. I told him that I'm sure, on the basis of what happened, that we've got enough for Marissa to get a restraining order against Jake. Seth was going to talk to her about it."

"I'm not sure she'll go for it. She still seems to want to finish the film. And that would be a bit difficult if she had a restraining order in place. But I intend going over there soon to talk to her. I'd prefer it if she just quit, contract or no contract."

"Do you want me to take a look at it for you?"

"It's probably a bit early for that. I have to try to get her to at least consider quitting first. I thought maybe if I talk to her face to face I might be able to change her mind."

"Use those Atwood charms, hey?" Sandy teased.

"Yeah, when you put it like that, she'll probably bite my head off."

"Well just make sure when you get there, that you don't go anywhere near Jake."

"Why? You know I'd like to..."

"That's exactly why." Sandy interrupted him. "You're not 17 anymore. Use your brain not your fists. You have more to lose than he does at this point."

"I guess you're right." Ryan looked at Sandy. "I was thinking of having a talk with J.B. about Marissa's contract but maybe I've just had a better idea." He smiled.

"Do you want to share it?"

"Um ….Not just yet. Let me think it through. I may need to call in a few favours but if I can pull it off then hopefully everyone will be happy." He smiled thinking to himself.

"Okay. You know I trust you. At least as long as you have thought it through then I do."

"What are you saying?" Ryan asked.

"Well…let's just say that if it had been you that walked in to that hotel room this morning instead of Summer….well I'm not sure you would have used your brains? When it comes to Marissa Cooper, you have been known to react without thinking."

Ryan smiled and hung his head. "Unfortunately, you're probably right."

"Hm… So just remember what I said. If you're going to the set just keep away from Jake."

"Okay. Point taken. But I really think if he knows what's good for him, he should be keeping away from me, not the other way around."


	21. Bye Jake

**Bye Jake**

Ryan finished up a few things at work and then made his way to the set. It was nearly lunch time but he had some things to attend to at the admin building. He walked in the door and Sarah looked up at him with a big smile on her face.

"Mr Atwood. What a pleasant surprise. I didn't realise that we were expecting you."

"That's because you weren't Sarah. But I was just wondering if J.B. was in and could spare me a few minutes?"

"I'll just check for you." She picked up the phone. "Um...Mr Atwood is here sir and wondering if you could spare him a few minutes?" She had scarcely put the phone back down when J.B. walked purposefully in to the reception area and shook Ryan's hand.

"Ryan. What can I do for you? Come on through. Sarah can you organise us some coffees….. And maybe some of those poppy seed muffins I like." he looked up at Ryan "What'll you have?"

"The coffee will be just fine. Thanks."

"How do you have it?" J.B. asked.

"I know how you like it." Sarah stated and looked shyly at Ryan and smiled.

J.B. laughed as they walked in to his office. "I don't know how you do that?"

"What?" Ryan asked.

"You must know that you have every girl in this office under your spell. Sarah actually has a reputation of being difficult to deal with but when you've around she's sweet as sugar."

Ryan shook his head. "I have no idea. I just try to be pleasant. I hope I've never given her the wrong idea?"

"No that's just it. I suspect you're about the only one that hasn't. She is a very attractive young lady and I suspect that a number of the people that come through that door, actors included, probably hit on her. You're probably the only one that doesn't. But then from the photo in this morning's paper, I gather that maybe you're no longer on the market?"

Ryan smiled. "So you saw it too?"

"Uh huh. I hope there's no problems. I mean, I know you're not keen on being in the limelight but if there's any credence to this then it will be better publicity for the film than anything that I could have organised and it'll save me a fortune in PR. So I guess I owe you again."

"Well maybe that's good. Because I need a favour." He looked up as Sarah brought in their coffees and a muffin and placed them on the table and left and closed the door behind her.

"Anything I can do, it's yours." J.B. replied.

"Well, I guess I need to tell you a little about what happened this morning first so that you'll understand why I'm asking."

Ryan related to J.B. the incident from the morning.

J.B. sat there listening and when Ryan had finished he said "Ryan, what would you like me to do? If you want the film closed down, then I'll do it. I don't care how much it costs. I owe you that. You've saved me more than that a few times over. Or if Marissa wants out, I can make that happen too."

"Well, when I suggested to Marissa that she quit she was pretty definite that she didn't want to do that. She is keen to finish the project so I was hoping that there might be another way."

"Well, I'm more than happy to get rid of Jake, if that's all you want? This isn't the first time that I have had complaints about him. I think one of the other studios even had to pay somebody off to keep them quiet before. He won't ever work for us again. And if he goes anywhere near Marissa then I can make sure he never works in the industry again."

"Thanks, J.B. I really appreciate your help."

"Don't mention it. I'm glad that I can finally repay you at least a little for all that you have done for us. Although, maybe you're just doing us a favour again?"

Ryan looked at him puzzled.

"Well, getting rid of Jake before he does something that would cause us even more problems. Come on let's go do this. There's no time like the present."

---

A short time later, Ryan and J.B. left the admin building and made their way to the 'Fashion Victim' set.

"So …am I allowed to ask?" J.B. asked.

"Ask what?" Ryan looked at him puzzled.

"Whether you and Marissa are an item?"

"No." Ryan stated.

"No what? Is that no I can't ask or no you're not an item."

"No you can't ask. I'll tell you when you can." Ryan smiled.

"What about if I tell her to take the rest of the day off. Would that help?"

"You don't have to do that." Ryan said.

"It's no big deal. It sounded better than it really is. It's just that once I sack Jake we are going to have to find a new lead and I expect that will take at least a couple of days. Until then, they can probably go ahead and film the scenes without him but I'm sure they'll need at least this afternoon to reorganise their schedules."

"Well in that case, then sure." he smiled at the thought. "I'm certain I could look after her for the afternoon." He thought that maybe this would be an ideal opportunity to have that talk with her that Sandy had suggested.

"I thought so." J.B. smiled and looked at Ryan and then burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Ryan asked.

"You…..you look like a little boy on Christmas morning. I've never seen you like this. Old school friend my foot. That she may be but I'm thinking you'd like her to be a whole lot more than that."

"You'll just have to wait and see." Ryan smiled.

"I'm looking forward to actually meeting her. She must be something really special."

"That she is."

---

As soon as they got to the set they made their way inside. They stood to one side watching the run throughs until the director called for a break for lunch.

J.B. turned to Ryan. "I'll just go and sort a couple of things out. If you wait in Marissa's dressing room, I'll join you shortly. I think it's time I meet this young lady." He smiled and made his way towards Jake. Ryan hesitated just for a moment until he saw the look on Jake's face as J.B. called him back and they made their way to the production offices.

Marissa was off to one side practising her lines. She looked up as Ryan walked towards her. She could feel her heart start to race at the sight of him. She didn't know what to do. She desperately wanted to go to him and feel his arms around her, but she knew they were supposed to be keeping their relationship (whatever it was) quiet. As he got closer, her eyes locked with his. She just stood there, unable to move. Ryan walked up to her. "Hey." He smiled at her.

"Hey yourself." She looked at him shyly as she realised that a number of the other people on the set had stopped what they were doing and were watching them intently. Obviously many of them had seen the photo in the newspaper. "Um I think we're being watched?" she said as he reached down and took her hands in his. He very gently used his thumbs to rub her wrists where she had put makeup on to hide the bruises.

"Does it bother you?" he asked.

"The bruises or being watched?" Marissa replied.

"Both?"

"The bruises, no and as far as being watched…. Well, I thought you wanted to keep it quiet?"

"Yeah. Well have you seen the paper? That plan doesn't seem to have worked very well." He smiled. "So…"

"So what?" she asked still smiling at him, knowing they were the centre of attention.

"Well. What say we give them something to talk about?" he said as he raised his hand to her chin, tilted her head back slightly and leaned in and gently but thoroughly kissed her, using his tongue to tell her just how much he had missed her.

The moment was broken by some claps and cheers from the assorted on lookers and Summer walked up to them and said "Uh. Would you two like to move this into the dressing room?"

"Why? Summ. Is there a problem?" Marissa asked smiling as she still looked at Ryan.

"Only that knowing you two, there could be clothes flying any minute now and I don't think the papers are ready for that just yet." She said.

Ryan laughed. He took Marissa by the hand and they all walked towards her dressing room. "You know we can actually keep our hands off one another in public." Ryan suggested.

"Well I just wanted to make sure. I mean it has been 24 hours. After what I gather happened on the weekend, I didn't know for sure if you could last much longer." She laughed.

Marissa looked at Ryan thinking that she couldn't get to her dressing room fast enough. They walked in the door and closed it behind them.

"I'm happy to leave if you want me to but I can also just be over here quietly reading a magazine and providing a little cover for you if you want. Whatever you'd prefer?"

"They might just think we're having a threesome, Summ." Marissa teased.

"Ew…sorry guys but ew….I'm outta here…you're on your own." She took off and left the room.

Ryan held out his arms "Come here you."

She walked towards him and he wrapped his arms around her. It felt so good. She didn't ever want to move.

"Are you okay?" Ryan asked.

"I am now." She replied. "But I'm supposed to do a scene with Jake after lunch. I'm not looking forward to that."

"Well you needn't worry because that's not going to happen."

"What do you mean?" Marissa asked still with her head on his shoulder.

"Well. I think about now … Jake is being fired."

"What? But he's the star. Did you do this? I told you I'd manage to cope. I mean does this mean that they'll cancel the film all together. All these people are counting on it for their jobs not just me."

"Hey. Hold on. It was J.B.'s idea. Apparently they have had problems with him before. This was just the straw that broke the camel's back and they are going to cast someone new. The film will still be finished. They will just have to redo some of the scenes. But you want to hear the really good part." He added as he saw the frown leaving her face.

"There's more?" she asked in wonder.

"Yep. You get the rest of the day off. So we can go home and spend the afternoon together." He smiled.

"Home?"

"Yeah home….Okay… Look…. I know you have some reservations about moving in with me. And I don't want to put any pressure on you, if you really don't want to. But can we at least get out of here and talk about it?" he suggested.

"Don't you have work?" she asked.

"One of the joys of being the boss is I can do what I like and right know I'd like to spend the afternoon with you." He thought back to his conversation with Sandy. "Plus we have some things to get sorted out between us." He smiled and pulled her closer to him.

Just then there was a knock at the door and in walked J.B.

"Marissa, J.B Connell. I'm happy to finally meet you, but please let me apologise for what we, inadvertently, have put you through by asking you to work with that man. I'm sorry I didn't realise just what he was like. If you want to proceed with charges, please know the studio will support you in any way we can." He said as he shook Marissa's hand.

"I don't think that will be necessary but thank you for understanding."

"Yeah. Well, if Ryan hadn't brought it to my attention, I might not have ever known. Please if anything like this ever happens again, please come to me. My door is always open. Any friend of Ryan's is a friend of mine." He smiled looking at the two of them. "Although looking at the two of you my guess is that 'friend' is not the right word." He chuckled noticing that they were somewhat uncomfortable with his words.

"But I can see you're keen to get out of here. Ryan's obviously told you that you have the afternoon off. You'll get a call to let you know when you are needed back on set. It may take a day or two."

"I'm sorry if I have caused any problems." Marissa started.

"Nonsense. It's just a minor hiccup. Things will be back to normal in no time. And it wasn't your fault anyhow. Now off you go. Maybe you'll allow me to take you both out to dinner in the not too distant future to make it up to you?"

"Thanks J.B. We'd like that." Ryan said as he looked at Marissa for her approval.

"Yes. Thank you." She added.

"Okay. So are you right to go?" Ryan asked Marissa.

"Just give me 5 minutes to get this stuff off my face and I'll be with you."

"Okay. I'll just see J.B. out. I'll be back in a minute." Ryan said as he kissed her and moved towards the door. He wanted to find out how things had gone with Jake.

"Bye Marissa. We'll make that dinner happen soon." J.B. said as he walked outside.

"Okay. I'll look forward to it." She replied and turned back to her mirror to start applying some cleanser.

---

Ryan walked with J.B. When they were far enough away and he was sure that Marissa would not be able to hear them he asked "So how did it go?"

"Well the man's a total ass. He seemed to think that he had some divine right to harass people. But I have made it clear that if he ever comes near her again then he will be looking for a new profession not just a new role."

"Okay and thanks again." Ryan said.

Just then they heard a scream come from the direction of Marissa's dressing room.


	22. Clearing things up

**Clearing things up**

Marissa was just wiping the cleanser off her face when Jake walked in through the door and closed and locked it.

He just stood and glared at her.

"Jake. Get out of here."

"I think we have some unfinished business. If I'm going to lose my job over you then I think I should at least make sure it's been worth it and let me assure you that kiss this morning … was definitely not worth it."

"Jake you don't want to do this. It'll only make things worse." Marissa pleaded as she stood and turned around trying to see if she could some how make it to the door. But Jake was keeping him self in between her and the doorway.

"Worse? How much worse can it get? I've lost my job because of you. And for one lousy kiss." He shook his head. "I don't think so. I think you owe it to me to make it worth my while. You're not getting away with it that easily. You come to papa and I'll fix you right up." He said as he walked up to her and reached for her. She screamed and ducked out of his reach and tried to get past him and to the door. She heard the material of her blouse rip as he grabbed at her. Just as he was about to pull her back, Ryan came crashing through the door and grabbed Jake by the upper arms and shoved him against the wall.

"Get your hands off my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend? Ha...You know she's frigid right?" Jake said. "So what's that make you, Mr Big Shot?"

Ryan had been contemplating hitting him but the thought of him calling Marissa frigid was so ridiculous that he couldn't help but laugh. Ryan thought about the hot and horny woman he had spent the weekend with and realised that Jake really had no idea. Instead of wanting to hit him, he started to feel sorry for him. The man was an absolute moron.

He kept Jake pinned against the wall, while he looked at Marissa and smiled.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Nothing a new shirt can't fix." She replied holding her shirt together where the buttons had been ripped off.

J.B. came through the doorway with two security guards in tow.

"Take him away. The police should be waiting for you by the time you get to the main office." he instructed them. He looked at Jake. "I hope you have another occupation that interests you because you won't work in LA ever again. If Marissa decides to press charges maybe basket weaving or leather work might be more up your alley. Now get out."

J.B. looked at Marissa. "I'm sorry again. But this time you are definitely rid of him. Enjoy you're time off." He added as he followed the security guards out and closed the door behind him.

Marissa looked at Ryan. "So girlfriend huh?" she teased.

"Well yeah. Aren't you?" he smiled. "I thought we'd sorted that much out already."

"According to the paper, I'm your new accessory." She added and smiled.

"And a very necessary accessory as well, one I can't seem to do without." he added pulling her towards him "….Frigid huh?" Ryan asked smiling as he did so.

"Yeah. Hadn't you noticed?" She looked at him and raised her eyebrows.

"Let's get out of here so I can test that theory out." He laughed.

"Sure ... but could you just nick round to Summer and borrow a new shirt for me from wardrobe. I don't think this one is much good any more." Marissa pulled off the ripped shirt and turned round only to find Ryan still standing there watching her.

"Have you seen enough?" she asked grinning from ear to ear.

"No where near" he said as he made his way back to Marissa. He used his finger to trace a line from her shoulder down around the edge of her bra and he could see her nipples hardening beneath the sheer fabric, springing to life at his touch. He leant in and kissed her. "I'll be right back and we'll get out of here and take this further."

---

They got in the car and Ryan drove out of the studio parking lot. "So where to? If you don't want to go home with me where do you want to go?" he looked at her and added "We really need to talk. So we need somewhere we won't be interrupted."

"Have you really got the whole afternoon off?" Marissa asked.

"Yeah why?"

"Do you think we could go to Newport?"

"Um sure. Anywhere in particular?"

"Your place. If that's all right?" She didn't know why but for some reason she felt at home there. If they really were going to have a serious talk then she wanted to feel comfortable.

"Newport here we come." He looked at her again. "Do you mind if I ask why there?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "Maybe because I feel comfortable there." She looked at him and smiled. Plus it didn't hurt, that she had felt so close to him while they where there on the weekend.

"Yeah. I know what you mean." When he had built the house at Newport, he had dreamt that it would someday be their home and that they would raise their children in it. So the fact that she felt comfortable there meant a lot to him.

They travelled to Newport in silence. Both lost in their own thoughts.

When they arrived Ryan drove into the garage and closed the door behind them. They both just sat in the car neither moving. They both wanted to delay this discussion as long as possible. They knew they needed answers. But they were both scared, that they wouldn't like them.

Eventually, after several minutes, Ryan removed the key and opened the car door. He couldn't help but remember the last time they had driven into this garage when they had returned from the Cohen's on Sunday. They'd both been in a state of undress before they'd even left the car. And Jake thought Marissa was frigid. Ryan definitely knew otherwise.

Marissa hadn't moved so Ryan made his way around to her door and opened it, holding out his hand to help her out. Marissa looked at him and he could almost see fear in her eyes. It broke his heart. Why would she be scared of him? Or was it because of everything that had happened today. He had to know.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Sorry I guess I'm……." she hung her head as she got out of the car, making sure that she didn't look him in the eye. She didn't want him to know just how petrified she was that somehow he would work out how much she loved him and then he would run a mile.

"Riss…? You know you can tell me anything."

It was obvious that she wasn't ready just yet, so he took her hand and led her into the house.

Once inside he turned to her. "Would you like something to drink?"

"A water would be good……. Thanks." anything to delay the inevitable she thought.

Ryan grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge and they proceeded to walk over to the sofa and sit down.

Ryan unscrewed the top off his bottle of water and drank from it. When he had replaced the lid he looked at Marissa.

"Why is this so hard?" he asked.

"I guess because we both know it is really important."

Ryan nodded. He had to agree. "Should we just postpone it and let things go as they have been and we'll talk about it sometime later."

"Well that sounds good but I guess now that we've got this far we should probably just get it over and done with." She looked up at him and was scared that she would burst into tears.

It broke his heart to see her like this. He put his arm around her and pulled her in to him. "Please Riss. I don't want to upset you. We'll just do it some other time."

"No. We've got this far. Let's just get it over with." She said still looking down but gaining strength from the feeling of his arm around her.

"Okay….so how do we do this? I mean where do we start?"

"I don't really know." Marissa said and shrugged her shoulders.

Ryan pulled his arm away from around her. She felt lost without it there.

He turned towards her so that he could look into her eyes and took each of her hands in his … looking alternately at her fingers and then her eyes trying to sense what was going through her mind, since she wasn't saying anything. He took a deep breathe. "Okay….. I want us to be totally honest with each other."

Marissa nodded looking into those beautiful blue eyes that she had missed so much over the last 7 years.

"No matter what." He added.

Marissa nodded again. She didn't know if she could actually speak. She was scared that if she opened her mouth, that nothing would come out or that she might burst in to tears.

It was obviously going to be up to him to make a start.

"Okay, well how about first things first." He hesitated trying to decide did he really want to know the answer to this. He thought back to what Sandy had said and decided that he was going to have to deal with it sometime so it may as well be now. It wouldn't get any easier. "Do you still want to be with me?" he asked and looked into her eyes trying to find the answer there. She realised that he was feeling nearly as nervous as she was. She looked down at their hands linked together and noticed that he was shaking slightly. He was obviously just as unsure of her feelings as she was about his.

She looked at him puzzled. "Of course." She noticed his frown lighten and his whole face change. She added. "More than anything in the world. How could you doubt that?"

"Well….I mean… why don't you want to move in with me? I thought after…" he looked at her, a puzzled expression on his face. "I mean, I figured you must have been having second thoughts about what was going on between us. You seemed so reluctant to stay with me, even after everything that had happened."

"It wasn't that I don't want to move in with you. I was just concerned at what was your motivation for asking? I didn't know if you really wanted me there or if you were just feeling you should be my knight in shining armour and come to my rescue, after all the stuff with Jake. I didn't want you to think I was your responsibility and you HAD to take care of me. I needed to know that you really wanted to be with me."

Ryan smiled. "And here I was thinking the only good thing to come out of the incident with Jake was it gave me an excuse to ask you to move in? I wasn't sure how I could talk you into it otherwise. You seem so much more self assured and independent than a few years ago. It's the biggest difference I've noticed in you."

"Well, I'm a big girl now and I can look after myself." she said "At least as long as there aren't any Jakes around. Although you actually saved him from a knee between the legs that I was lining up."

"Maybe I should have waited a bit. I would have liked to see that." He leant in and kissed her. "So does this mean you will move in?"

"I don't know. Who's asking and why?" she gave him a shy smile to give him some reassurance.

"Marissa, since I have trouble getting through even one night without you, would you consider coming and staying with me?" Ryan asked.

"Is this in the guest room as you suggested earlier?" she smiled knowing full well that wasn't what he meant but she didn't think it would hurt to keep him on his toes.

Ryan did a double take. Had he misunderstood ….again. "Well not if I have my way. But if it's the only way you'll say yes, then anywhere you like. You know I only suggested that because I thought you wanted to slow things down and if that's the case then..."

Marissa leant in and kissed him cutting off his doubts with her lips. "Well, 'WE' could try out the guest room, if 'WE' get tired of doing it in the other rooms." She suggested making sure he understood that the most important thing to her was that they were together.

He smiled. "What exactly is 'it'?" he asked innocently.

She leant in and started to undo the buttons on his business shirt and then moved on to his belt. "How about I show you." She smiled.

"Hmmm… I like the sound of that." He said as he started to remove her blouse. "You do know we haven't finished out discussion?"

"Let's just take a short break then." She suggested as she undid the catch on his business pants and took down the zipper.

"Short?" he asked undoing her bra and letting it fall to the ground beside them.

"Well maybe long, but if I'm going to be staying with you, we'll have plenty of time to finish our discussion." She said as she stood up and grabbed his hand for him to join her.

He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. "Let's go try out this frigid theory." He chuckled.

---

"Well I think we dispelled the frigid theory once and for all." Ryan stated as they walked hand in hand along the beach a while later.

"Excuse me. What do you mean 'once'? I think it was a few times more than that." Marissa smiled.

"Yeah. Well what can I say. For someone that's reportedly frigid you look very hot to me."

"I'm not the only one" she said as she pulled his hand to stop him and reached up to kiss him softly on the lips.

"Although I was thinking that I should probably retest you from time to time unless you relapse." He smiled.

Marissa used her free hand to take a swipe at him.

Ryan caught it and said "And actually I think I have to confess something to you."

"What?"

"I lied before." Ryan hung his head and looked away.

"What?" Marissa started to panic. "What about?"

"When I said the biggest difference in you was that you're more independent."

"And I'm not?"

"No. You are. It's just that's not the biggest difference. The biggest difference is…. How should I put it?...your lack of frigidity?" he laughed.

"Aw. It's not just me. Thank you very much. I haven't seen you putting up much of a fight."

"It would be impolite. I was always taught to give a lady what she wants."

"Yeah. Well I want you alright. But just remember, I have exclusive rights. I'm not into sharing."

"I'm all yours." Ryan kissed her and laughed. "So when do you want to go back to town?"

Just then Marissa's phone rang. She pulled it from her pocket and looked at him. "It's the studio" she said as she opened the phone to answer it.

"Marissa Cooper."

Ryan watched as she talked on the phone. He took a few steps away to give her some privacy and picked up a pebble and threw it into the ocean watching it skip along the surface before it was engulfed by a wave. He looked back at Marissa and felt like his heart had doubled in size. She wasn't just special. He didn't remember exactly when it had happened. But right at that moment he knew he loved her. Maybe he had never stopped. It was too early to tell her. But he knew he would do anything to keep her in his life.

Just then Marissa closed up her phone and turned to him. "Well…it looks like I have a couple of days off. Whoever they are getting to replace Jake can't start til next week. So I have some spare time on my hands."

"Good. It means you can spend some time settling it to my.… sorry our apartment." Ryan smiled. "I like the sound of that." He raised her hand that was now linked with his and placed a small kiss on it.

"Me too." She returned the smile. She didn't think she had ever been happier in her life than she was at that moment.

"Actually, and you can come to San Francisco with me on Thursday. I have to go up there to a meeting. How about coming with me?" he asked.

"But what would I do? While you're at your meeting."

"Well... they do have shops there?"

"Hmm. I see you're point. I'm going to have to get used to that again."

"Sorry. I don't understand."

"Well. Believe it or not I haven't actually shopped very much in the last couple of years. A lot of the designers have actually 'lent' me their clothes to wear. So I'm a bit rusty. But if I'm going to stop modelling then I'll have to get used to buying my clothes again. So a bit of retail therapy sounds good."

"So will we go back to town soon then?" Ryan asked.

"I guess so. I just wish we could stay here the night. But I realise you have work in the morning. Maybe we could stay for dinner and then go back?" she asked, looking at him hopefully.

"Sure. Actually just let me check when I get back to the house. I can't remember having any appointments tomorrow morning. If that's the case then we could probably stay here tonight and go back in the morning. I would need to be at work by lunch time but. I've got some things that I have to finish up for the meeting on Thursday. What do you say?"

"You know I love it here. If we could stay that would be great. But I don't want you putting yourself out for me all the time. If we're going to make this work then you have to not neglect your business or you'll start to resent me taking you away from it."

"Let me assure you that will never happen." He put his arm around her and they turned and made their way back to the house.


	23. Fun at Newport

**Fun at Newport **

They returned to the house and Ryan made his way into a room at the side of the entry that Marissa had never been in to before. It was his study and was set up completely in case he wanted to work from here. He went to the computer, checked his schedule and looked up at her.

"Looks like where here for the night." He said smiling as he looked at the expression on her face. "What's that look about?"

"I was just thinking that I don't have any clothes with me again." She smiled as the look of recognition appeared on his face. "Do you think I can borrow something of yours?" she asked saucily.

"You're making a habit out of this aren't you?" Ryan asked.

"Do you mind?"

"Not at all. You look much better in my clothes than I do."

"I'd probably have to dispute that with you. But right now I guess I should call Summer. She'll be wondering what's happened to me."

"Okay. I might just answer a few emails while you do that. Do you mind?" he asked.

"No. After I've spoken to her I'll go and take a shower. I'll leave you to get some work done. See you in a while." She bent down and kissed him lingeringly.

"Hmm. I think I should work from home more often."

Marissa smiled and made her way in to the lounge and dialled Summer's number.

---

"Coop where are you?" Summer answered.

"We're at Newport."

"Are you okay?"

"Never better actually." Marissa smiled knowing that was true.

"I heard about what happened with Jake, Chino told me when he came to borrow the blouse."

"Yeah. Thank goodness Ryan came. Jake really has a screw loose. But I am fine. I'm just glad it's all over."

"I can imagine. I did warn you there was something not right about him."

"Yeah. Maybe I should've taken more notice. But I didn't think he would actually try something again. Not after this morning. Still, no harm done. I just want to put it all behind me…. But, I thought I should give you a call in case you were wondering where I was."

"Yeah well. I knew you were with Ryan and I figured you'd be okay but I thought I'd catch up with you here at my place. All your gear is here."

"Yeah. Um about that. Do you mind just looking after it for me until tomorrow. We're going to stay here tonight and come back in the morning."

"Staying again hey?" Summer smiled.

"Yeah." Marissa couldn't help but smile herself, hearing the tone in her friend's voice.

"These sleepovers are becoming a bit of a habit." Summer waited for Marissa to reply but when she said nothing Summer added "So I gather things are okay between you two?"

"Yeah. You could say that."

"And would I be right in assuming that this is a 'clothing optional' sleepover?" Summer asked.

"Summer!" Marissa laughed.

"Aw Come on. You're trying to tell me, the pair of you won't be doing the deed tonight? On your track record. I don't think so."

"Let's just say, we'll have to see if we have recuperated enough for a repeat performance." Marissa smiled waiting for her friend's reaction.

"Ew... In the middle of the day? That's just ew..."

"I think someone's just jealous."

"Well maybe I am. I might have to get some pointers from you. I'm starting to think my sex life could do with a bit of a boost. Maybe Cohen and I are boring."

"Summ if there's one thing I know for sure. You will never be boring."

"Okay thanks...I think. So we'll see you tomorrow?"

"Um yeah. But there's been a change of plans."

"What again?"

"Yeah. Um…I've decided to stay with Ryan. If that's okay with you?"

"Way to go girl! And why would you ask if it's okay? If you remember, I was the one that suggested it in the first place."

"Yeah, well I just didn't want him to feel like he had to….you know...take me in and protect me."

"I think he has other ideas for what he wants to do with you besides protecting you. Or maybe I should say, as well as, not besides."

"Yeah… It seems that maybe we both have those same ideas." Marissa replied thinking she couldn't get enough of him. "So you and Seth don't need to worry about me cramping your style." She added.

"It would have been fine. But I'm happy that you and Chino are working this out. You do know that now that Jake's in jail you could probably just go back to the hotel if you wanted?" Summer teased knowing full well that Marissa wouldn't want that at all.

"Yeah thanks for that. I'm going to pretend I didn't hear you."

Summer laughed. "Okay. So I'll see you tomorrow. Just remember if you hurt him again, you'll have me to deal with." Summer replied and hung up the phone.

---

Marissa stood there and wondered about Summer's last words. It seemed as if Summer thought that Marissa was some how to blame for them breaking up in the first place. She would really have to sit down and have a talk to her about it, sometime. Maybe when she got back to LA they could make some time.

She decided since Ryan was still working in the study that she would go and have her shower and rinse out her clothes so she could wear them again tomorrow.

---

After her shower, Marissa rinsed out her clothes and hung them to dry. She picked up Ryan's business shirt that was lying on the chair from when he had changed earlier and put it on just doing up a few buttons in the middle. She made her way back down to see if he had finished yet. She got to the door of the study and stood quietly looking at him. He had a look of concentration on his face and was typing on the keyboard. He hesitated as if re-reading what he had typed and hit the send key. Then he looked up and smiled at her.

"You do know that there is no way I can concentrate on anything but you, when you're dressed like that?" he asked.

"Would you like me to go away?" she asked as she stood at the door.

"No…I'd like you to come here." He suggested as he pushed his chair back and indicated his lap.

She moved into the room and sat across his knee with her arm lightly draped around his shoulder.

He had one arm around her back and with the other he started to trace a line from her knees up the outside of her thighs and then up under the shirt gliding over her hips and higher until his hand reached her breast. It was the perfect handful. He tweaked the nipple between his finger and thumb as he felt it harden. By this time he had started to stroke her back under the sweat shirt as he nuzzled her neck and began to nibble at her ears.

"You do know what you're doing to me, I gather." Marissa asked as she was finding it difficult to breathe.

"Nothing more than what the sight of you does to me. I'm sure." He replied as he undid the few buttons she had done up and pushed the shirt aside so his hand could freely fondle her breasts.

Marissa brought her lips to his. She used her tongue to trace the outline of his mouth, loving the taste of him. Her tongue moved in and out almost dancing with his. She could feel the heat building in her core as she moved her hips on his lap, feeling his hardness through his jeans. She began to fumble with his belt needing to rid him of his clothing. She pulled back for a moment to concentrate on freeing his erection of its troublesome clothing. Ryan lifted her up and sat her on the edge of his desk while he stood up to allow her to push down his pants and boxers. She pushed his laptop to one side and pulled the shirt off to reveal herself in all her nakedness.

"Oh God, Riss." Ryan said as he rid himself of the rest of his clothes.

She put her arms behind her and lent back as he sat back down on his chair and began to kiss his way up the inside of her thighs until he got to her hot core. Ryan worked his magic until Marissa could stand it no more.

"Ry. Now." She almost cried. He stood up and thrust into her. He had to stop for a moment. She felt so good he thought he would explode. He hesitated while he regained some control. Then he began to thrust into her again and again, until he felt her tightening around him and he let himself go as he shuddered inside her.

He held her as their breathing slowly returned to normal. "You do know… you're… leaving ..your mark… around here?"

"Sorry?" she panted.

He smiled "Well… between the bedroom, the shower, the lounge, the kitchen counter and now the desk you make it very difficult to imagine what life was like before you. Whenever I look around, you're all I think about."

"Don't forget the stairs. I reeaallyy liked the stairs." Marissa smiled.

"Sorry. How could I possibly forget the stairs." Ryan laughed. "You know if you thought they were that good, we could always try them again."

"I'm counting on it. Why do you think I wanted to stay here tonight?" she replied saucily.

"It's going to be one of those nights is it?"

"Well I missed out last night, since you had your meeting, so I think you should make it up to me."

"Okay. I obviously owe you for cancelling out last night. So what do you have planned for us now?"

"Hm. I think food. You need to keep you energy levels up for later."

Ryan laughed and kissed her on the tip of her nose. "Okay… So how about we have an early dinner?"

"Sure. Then we can be early to bed." Marissa suggested raising her eyebrows.

"Who needs a bed? Although trying to do any work at this desk may be impossible now."

"Why? We haven't left any marks."

"Maybe not on the desk but do you really think I'll be able to concentrate on work when I sit here. I'm getting a hard on just thinking about you lying on it, naked."

"Do you need some help with that?"

"No. You go and get the menus and decide what you want to eat." He replied pushing her towards the door.

She turned and looked at him. "I could always eat…." She looked at him making sure he had gotten her meaning.

"Thai?" he suggested.

"Sure. Sounds good." She smiled and made her way back into the kitchen.

---

That night as they were lying in bed together, neither wanted to sleep. They were enjoying being together too much. Ryan had his arm around Marissa and she was on her side, her head on his chest.

"Did you tell Summer that you're moving in with me when you were talking to her earlier?" Ryan asked.

"Uh..Huh." she smiled thinking back to her conversation with her friend.

"Was she surprised?"

"No. She had actually suggested it."

"What? When?" Ryan asked.

"This morning. After the incident at the hotel. She decided that I couldn't stay there and started packing all my things and when I said I didn't know where to go she suggested your place."

"Smart girl that one. I would have said the same thing. Actually I did say the same thing."

"Yeah. But you can understand that I was hesitant. I wanted to be doing it for the right reasons. Not because I had no where else to go or because you thought you should."

"Yeah. I guess if I'd been a bit more open about my feelings earlier then you would have known that I wanted you with me. Jake or no Jake."

"Yeah. Well I guess that goes for both of us. If I'd been a bit more open then maybe you would have asked me before all this happened."

"Yeah. Still I'll have to remember to thank Summer for giving you a little nudge in my direction." Ryan said.

Marissa smiled. "She's good at encouragement alright. She asked me were we having a 'clothing optional' sleepover tonight?"

Ryan laughed. "And what did you say?"

"I don't really remember exactly but I figure we haven't needed clothes any other night so why should tonight be any different."

"Yeah. I rather like the feel of your skin against mine."

"Me too." She replied tracing circles on his chest with her fingers. "Do you think we're going to have more problems with the paparazzi tomorrow?"

"Probably. But we'll just have to get used to it and so will they. I'm not letting you go." He pulled her closer to him. "Eventually something new will come up and they'll put their attention elsewhere. We'll become old hat after a while."

"You might decide you don't like your new room-mate and throw me out on the street. I'm sure they'd love that."

"Well, that's never going to happen. Do you think you can put up with them til the next big story comes along?"

"Does that mean I have to put up with you too?" she smiled.

"Um yeah. Is that a problem?" he asked wishing he could see her face in the dark. He thought she was joking but what if she wasn't.

"Then I think I can manage." She lifted her head off his chest and kissed him. "But right now I think I'm going to go to sleep. I think you've tired me out."

"You were the one that needed to try out the stairs again. Don't blame me." He smiled.

"Yeah But wasn't it worth it?" Marissa rolled over facing the side of the bed but sliding herself back towards Ryan until she could feel him behind her.

"It sure was." Ryan replied as he spooned himself around her and they both drifted off into a deep sleep.


	24. Settling In

**+ Settling In**

When Marissa and Ryan got back to LA they dropped past Seth and Summer's and collected her bags and then took them to Ryan's penthouse.

As they emerged from the lift with all her luggage, Ryan, who was carrying the biggest and heaviest bags, put them down beside the door to pull out his keys. Marissa stood to one side to allow him to open the door and go inside but as soon as he opened the door he turned to her and said. "Put down those bags."

"What? Why?"

"Because I know you're light but I don't want to carry them as well." He smiled looking at the puzzled expression on her face.

"Ry? What are you talking about?" Marissa smiled starting to see where this was going.

"Well I'm sure there's some sort of tradition whereby when it's your first home together I need to carry you over the threshold and I figure that this is it for us." He took the bags she was holding out of her hands and deposited them on the floor.

Marissa smiled. "You don't have to."

"Yeah. But I want to. It gives me another reason to have you in my arms." He said as he picked her up and walked through the door. She turned her head to look at him and their eyes met. She felt like she was drowning in the blue pools before her. As she slowly slid out of his arms to put her feet back on the floor her body became electrically charged as it moved across his. They stood just inside the doorway and their mouths met in a passionate kiss. She thought her knees would give way as they buckled beneath her but luckily Ryan was still holding her.

Minutes later when they needed to come up for air Marissa looked at him and said "Hm… I like moving in with you."

"There's more of those where that came from." He smiled, and went and brought in her bags.

---

A short while later after all Marissa's bags had been carried in to the main bedroom Ryan said "Are you sure you'll be right here on your own?"

"Yes. I'll just unpack my things and maybe go over my script."

"Okay. You know there's the whole other walk-in dressing room for you to use."

"Yes Ryan I can find it all myself." She smiled. He was like a Mother Hen, fussing about her. "If I'm going to be living here then I'll need to investigate so that I can find my way around. Are there any rooms that are off limits?"

"Off limits?"

"You know. Private?" She asked but he looked at her puzzled. "Where you have your secret porn stash?" She suggested.

"Why? Are you planning on needing it?" he asked raising his eye brows at her.

"No. It's just. Well I don't want you to think that I am imposing. You weren't really planning on having me stay with you until all this stuff with Jake happened."

"Will you just get it through your head that the 'stuff' with Jake just gave me an excuse to ask you to move in? We would have gotten round to it eventually, just maybe not quite this fast."

"Yeah. Well. Do you realise it's only been like 5 days since you asked me out for that drink?"

"It's pretty amazing how much has happened since then. Isn't it?"

"Yeah. Maybe you need some time to think it all through?"

"The only thing I need time for is to get my work finished so I can get back to you." He said as he lent in and kissed her. "Okay. I will probably be a few hours at least so just make your self comfortable."

"Okay. What about if I invite Seth and Summer to have dinner with us? I'd like to thank them for helping me yesterday."

"Good idea. I normally eat with them on a Wednesday night anyhow so they shouldn't have anything on. And there should be plenty of food in the fridge and freezer otherwise we'll just order in. I'll be home as soon as I can" Ryan said and noticed the big smile on Marissa's face. "What?" he asked.

"Home. Our home, it sounds good."

"Yes it does." He smiled and kissed her again and then made his way towards the door.

"Hold on. I forgot." He went in to his study and came back with some keys. "Here these are actually the spares but you can use them until I get you your own set."

"Thank you." Marissa held them in her hand and looked down at them. For some reason at that moment she was totally overcome. She could feel herself tearing up. Whether it was because of everything that had happened with Jake just catching up with her, or whether it was because finally after all this time Ryan and her seemed to be back on track she wasn't sure.

Ryan noticed her silence, and he put his finger beneath her chin and lifted her head so that he could look into her eyes. "Have I done something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No. You have done everything right." She leaned in and kissed him sweetly. "Now off to work with you. Hurry home. I'm already missing you." She smiled.

He kissed her again and smiled and walked out the door.

---

Julie filled up her coffee cup and made her way into the lounge and turned on the television. Dan had a meeting tonight so she had a few hours to fill in before he came home. She flicked through the stations trying to find something of interest. She stopped on an entertainment show thinking that maybe they would make a reference to the film Marissa was doing. She didn't have to wait long as the announcer said "And in breaking news in Hollywood, It is believed that Jake Hammond was escorted from the set of his latest film "Fashion Victim" today, by police. The film was to have been the debut into acting for supermodel Marissa Cooper. It is not known at this point if Ms Cooper was in anyway involved in the incident which led to Hammond's arrest. Although there have been rumours about his behaviour with attractive women before, Hammond has always managed to get away with it; earning himself the nick name in tinsel town of "The Teflon Man".

Ms Cooper herself had attracted some interest today by appearing on the front page of the Globe hand in hand with Ryan Atwood. Atwood, the multi-millionaire architect/developer that is currently one of the hottest bachelors around, has a reputation completely the opposite to Hammond. He is rarely seen with any partner and is thought to be a bit of a loner. Could this be a love triangle? We'll try to find out more and keep you informed."

Julie sat there stunned. She didn't know what to be more upset about.

She picked up the phone and dialled Marissa's number.

---

"Hey Mum."

"Marissa what's going on?"

"With what?"

"Well I just saw a report on TV about Jake Hammond being arrested and more importantly you in a photo with….. that boy." She said putting as much disgust into the last two words as she could.

"Mum. 'that boy' is actually a man now and his name is Ryan." Marissa corrected her mother.

"I know. But for Christ's sake Marissa what were you doing with him. Haven't you listened to me at all?"

"Yes Mum I have. But you need to know that you are totally wrong on this one. You were wrong about him in high school and you're wrong about him now."

"What do you mean? When have I ever led you astray? Haven't I taken us from trailer park trash to rich and elite? Need I remind you that when Caleb died and your father left us, we had nothing? And look at us now. I can't believe you would put it all at risk to spend time with him."

"Mum I really don't understand this obsession you have with trying to keep Ryan and me apart but let me assure you; you are totally wrong. You have never been more wrong about anything in your life. If you are really interested in my welfare you'd be asking questions about exactly what went on with Jake and me."

"But Marissa, Ryan is so wrong for you. I don't want you making a mistake that could ruin your life."

"Mum, the only thing that makes sense in my life right now IS Ryan." Marissa tried to think of a way to get her mother to change the subject. She knew they would never agree on this one. "Are you at all interested in the fact that Jake actually attacked me today?"

"What?"

"Yeah…. Twice."

"I can't believe…..he seemed like such a nice man?"

"Mum, you didn't even know him. How can you say he seemed nice after what I've just told you and yet you make out that Ryan is something evil that will destroy me?"

"Well I just know that he will end up breaking you heart again."

"You don't know that at all." Marissa smiled thinking about the time she'd spent with Ryan. "I'm thinking he might be just what I need to mend the heart he broke all those years ago."

"Marissa…NO. Please….Promise me you won't spend any more time with him."

Marissa wanted to be honest with her mother and tell her she was living with Ryan but Julie was so upset Marissa thought she should leave it until another day. Maybe she could catch Julie in a better frame of mind.

"I can't promise that mum. You don't know what you're asking. I'll talk to you later." Marissa closed her phone. She couldn't believe that her mother had barely asked about what happened with Jake. She hadn't even seemed to care that Marissa had been attacked. All that worried Julie was that Marissa was spending time with Ryan. She really didn't understand why Julie was so against Ryan but she was going to have to come to terms with it. Marissa didn't want to have to choose between the two of them but if she had to, she thought she knew what she would do.

---

When Ryan arrived at work Annabel was not at her desk so he went straight to his office and got some work done. His mind kept going back to Marissa and he wondered what she was doing. He decided to give her a call.

Marissa looked at the land line ringing and hesitated about answering. No one but Summer and Ryan would expect her to be there. She looked at the number on the caller id but it meant nothing to her. Cautiously she answered. "Hello."

"Hey it's me."

"Hi you" she smiled hearing Ryan's voice "I wasn't sure if I should answer it or not."

"Why? It's your phone now too."

"I hadn't thought about it that way. I feel a bit like I'm invading your space."

"Well don't. But if it's really a problem then I guess we could always find somewhere else to live. Somewhere more neutral….. As long as we're together I don't care where we live."

Marissa felt a lump in her throat. She couldn't speak. He really did just want to be with her. It was just what she needed to hear after her little chat with her mother.

"Riss. Are you there?" Ryan wondered why she had suddenly gone quiet.

"Uh huh." She nodded even though he couldn't see her.

"What's wrong?"

"That's probably one of the nicest things you have ever said to me. I guess it just got to me."

Ryan didn't understand. "What that I'll move for you? If it's a problem then get on the computer now and look for something you'd like." He knew he'd do anything to make sure he didn't lose her this time.

"No. This is fine. Better than fine. It's beautiful. Well not as good as the house at Newport but I realise that that's not practical when we work in LA."

"Okay…then what was the nice thing I said? Just in case I might want to use it again?" he smiled knowing the reaction he was likely to get.

"Don't worry about it. Plus you don't get double brownie points you know. The reason it was so great was because it came out spontaneously. You hadn't thought about it at all."

"Hm. I wish I had instant replay."

"Never mind. So how's the work going?"

"Yeah. I shouldn't be too much longer. I just wanted to check if you're still okay with coming with me tomorrow?"

"I guess. I mean I don't have anything else to do. So if you'd like me to come along then sure. As long as I won't be in the way."

"Never. Who knows?" he smiled "We might even try out that mile high club I've heard about."

"No way buster. Have you seen the size of the bathrooms on planes? There ain't no way we are both trying anything in there."

"Is that right?"

"Yep."

"Well I might have to try and change your mind." Ryan suggested all the while thinking up a little plan.

"You've got no chance. So just forget it. Now any idea on when you'll be home?" Marissa asked liking the sound of that. She was amazed that one little four letter word could make her feel so warm and fuzzy.

"Probably about 6:30. Are Seth and Summer coming to join us?"

"Yeah. I spoke to Summer earlier and they should be here around 7 so 6:30's fine."

"Do you want me to pick up something on the way home?"

"No. I've made a lasagne. I just need to throw a salad together when they get here."

"Quite the little domestic goddess aren't you?"

"Don't push it. I may have graduated from Mac and cheese but my skills are still fairly limited. I know you don't want me for my cooking skills."

"No. You have other skills that I'm more interested in. Actually I might see if I can get home by 6 so we've got enough time."

"Enough time for what?"

"Um… Let's call it nibblies. You know where I nibble you and you nibble me." He suggested.

"Ryan Atwood. Just what are you suggesting?"

"You know very well what I'm suggesting. What do you think?"

"See you at 6." Marissa replied smiling as she put the phone back in its cradle.

---

Ryan replaced the receiver and pressed the page button on his phone.

Annabel's voice filled the room. "Yes Ryan?"

"Annabel, I've had a change of plan. Could you cancel my commercial flight to San Fran tomorrow and book me a private jet."

"Certainly, when did you want to leave?"

"Probably about 10. From Orange County Airport if you could. I hate the traffic at LAX. And I'll be returning late in the day tomorrow. I don't know just when yet. It depends on how the meeting goes. Just book the jet for the day. I'll call them when I have a better idea of what time we will be returning."

"We?" Annabel enquired. Who else was going with him? Maybe it was someone else from the company involved in the project, although she thought that Ryan had been handling this one all on his own.

"Yes, we." He realised she wanted to know who was going with him. But it was really none of her business. "And if possible I'd like one with a shower on board. I may need to freshen up." He added. A smile growing across his face. He wondered what his chances might be on a private jet. "Could you let me know when it's confirmed?"

"Certainly Ryan. Do you still want a limo to meet you in San Fran?" Annabel replied.

Ryan thought for a moment. "Yes thanks. Oh and Annabel?"

"Yes."

"Could you see if Skip is available?"

"Sure." She placed the phone back in its cradle and looked at it. She didn't have a good feeling about this. Firstly he took yesterday afternoon off. Then he was late for work today and now this. It was so un-Ryan-like.

She didn't like it at all.


	25. The Thank you Dinner

** The thank you dinner**

Fortunately Seth and Summer arrived late because as it turned out 'nibblies' took a bit longer than expected. They were having too much fun.

Seth brought a bottle of champagne to celebrate the re-formation of the Fantastic Four. They drank the champagne while Marissa put the finishing touches to the salad. Marissa had set the table before Ryan had got home and she went and lit the candles on the table, while Ryan opened a bottle of red wine for dinner.

"If you'd like to sit at the table, I'll bring dinner on through." Marissa said.

Seth walked in to the dining room.

"Whoa. I wasn't expecting this."

"Marissa… It's beautiful." Summer added.

Ryan looked at the table and then at Marissa with awe.

"What were you expecting?" Marissa asked, pleased that she had gotten such a response.

"Well a normal meal with Ryan is pizza out of the box in front of the television."

"Well, I'm sure we'll still have some of those. But I just wanted to do something a little special to thank you two for helping me out yesterday."

"If the food tastes as good as the table looks, then I hope Jake attacks you more often." Seth said.

Summer whacked him in the arm. "Seth !"

"Okay. Maybe that's taking it a bit far. But you know what I mean." He laughed.

"I don't think we've ever actually eaten in the formal dining room. I thought it was just for show." Summer stated as she sat down beside Seth.

"Showing off, you mean." Seth commented.

"Seth, be nice or there's no pudding for you." Marissa threatened.

"There's pudding? I'll be good. Honest." Seth assured her.

Ryan poured the wine as Marissa firstly placed the salad on the table and then went and returned from the kitchen with the lasagne. As she went to sit down Ryan stood and held out her chair. She looked at him and smiled as he moved it in as she sat down. Their eyes locked. "Thank you."

"Your welcome." He felt like his heart could burst. He didn't know if it was with love, pride or a combination of the two.

"Ah…. Hem….hello…there are other people in the room." Seth said waving his hands in the air to attract their attention.

"Sorry." Marissa said blushing at the fact that for a moment she and Ryan were the only two people on the earth. "Please, help yourself."

---

"Marissa. That was delicious." Seth said sitting back and loosening his belt. "And the chocolate mousse was to die for."

Marissa smiled. "Well my apartment in Paris has a restaurant on the ground floor and I have become very good friends with the owners. It is one of their recipes. I think if you live in Paris it's almost compulsory to be able to make decent chocolate mousse."

"Summer, have you ever thought of moving to Paris?" Seth suggested.

"I don't need to. My best friend makes the best chocolate mousse in the world so I can just get her to teach me." She commented smugly.

Seth frowned and pouted like a little child and then smiled and then frowned and then smiled.

"Cohen what are you doing?" Summer asked.

"Well. I don't know if I should be sad that I'm not your best friend or happy that I might have a line on getting a supply of chocolate mousse. It's a very difficult decision."

They all laughed at him.

"What are you going to do with your place in Paris now that you're living here?" Summer asked.

Marissa hesitated. "Well, I'm only supposed to be here until filming is finished." She said as she looked at Ryan. She hadn't even spent one night here and yet the thought of ever leaving was like a lead weight to her. "I guess I'll go back there when it's done."

Ryan's head flew up and he stared at her. He couldn't believe that he had been so happy with her moving in, that he had actually forgotten that she wasn't here for good. He knew he wanted her with him forever, not just a few weeks. They really had to have the rest of that talk.

Sensing that she had just hit on some unresolved issues Summer looked for a way to change the subject. "So I believe you're off to San Fran tomorrow?" she said to Ryan.

"Yeah." He replied even though he was still looking at Marissa.

"I didn't realise you were doing anything up there at the moment?"

"Um…I'm not." He turned his attention back to the Summer. "I'm meeting some guys from Washington there to have a look over a Community Health Centre that has just been finished. They funded it and they're prepared to fund a similar project in the low income housing estate I'm developing near Chino. I'm just going to have a look and have a talk to the operators to see what they like about it and if there are any improvements that we should look at incorporating in the new facility."

"Wow. That sounds great." Summer replied.

"Yeah." He turned to Marissa. "This is what the meeting on Monday evening was about. The guys had flown in from Washington and I couldn't put them off. They were flying out to San Fran on Tuesday morning."

"Well it sounds amazing. I think I can forgive you for blowing me off for that." She stated.

"I thought the roses already did that?" Ryan smiled.

"Actually I don't think I've properly thanked you for my roses." Marissa smiled back at Ryan.

"And with that in mind, we'll leave." Seth said. "Knowing you two, I don't need to be here when Marissa works out how to thank you 'properly', my dear brother."

Marissa smiled. "Whatever are you suggesting Seth?"

"You know very well. If even half of what Summer told me about you two on the weekend is true then I'm outta here. And so is Summer. I don't want you giving her any ideas. Although thinking about it maybe…."

"Cohen. I think we can come up with our own ideas. We're both supposed to be creative, so just create."

"Create? What? Life? I thought we'd decided to wait until we were married to start a family?"

"Cohen! You are so clueless sometimes."

---

After Seth and Summer left, Ryan turned to Marissa. "Thank you. That was an amazing meal."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Hmm. The only problem is that I might not want to eat out ever again, if I can get that at home."

She smiled. She loved the thought that after all these years they actually had a home, together. "You'd probably get sick of lasagne and Chocolate mousse pretty quickly.

"Maybe. But the waitress is to die for."

"I guess if you're prepared to be the guinea pig then I could try to expand my repertoire and master a few more dishes."

"I'd love to be your guinea pig. Is there anything else you'd like to try out on me?" he asked raising his eyebrows.

"Lots. But firstly. How do you look in an apron? We've got a bit of cleaning up to do in the kitchen before we go to bed."

"Well it wasn't exactly the response I was hoping for but I'm actually pretty good at cleaning up. Why don't you leave it to me and you go and get ready for bed."

"The only thing I need for bed is you, so how about we clean up together and then we can get to bed sooner."

"No. You cooked so I'll clean up. Off you go. I won't be long." And he pushed Marissa off down the hall towards their room. "But I'm warning you, don't bother falling asleep or you may just get woken up." He smiled as she made her way down the hall.

"I'm counting on it." She called back.

Marissa walked in to the bedroom and began to strip off her clothes. She thought of Ryan cleaning up in the kitchen and came up with an idea. She took off the rest of her clothes and then crept back down the hall to the linen cupboard and took out an apron. Putting it on over her head so the bib just covered her breasts, she reached behind and tied it in a bow. She took a tea towel from the cupboard and walked to the door of the kitchen.

"I thought of a way to thank you for the roses." She said from the doorway as Ryan looked up and smiled at her.

"And how's that?" he smiled feeling his whole body responding to the sight of her in nothing but a small apron, which covered all the important parts.

"I'll help you. Maybe dry up for you." She said as she showed him the tea towel in her hand as she walked towards him.

"Nice apron." He stated.

"Why thank you. You know, I was actually hoping to see you in one?"

"Do you have another?"

"Uh huh. I'll just go and get it." She turned and walked slowly from the kitchen making sure he got a good view of her bare ass.

Ryan watched her pert ass saunter out the door making the ache in his pants grow even stronger. As Marissa came back in to the room he went to take the apron from her and put it around his waist.

"Aw no. That's not the right way to wear an apron. Let me show you how." She began to unbutton his shirt and after removing it she started on his jeans and then removed his boxers. "Now we can put it on." She turned him around so she was facing his back and put the apron around him and then tied the bow. She turned him back again and burst out laughing.

"What's wrong now?"

"It doesn't seem to sit quite right on you." She smiled noticing the tent effect his erection was causing.

"Well since you seem so good in the kitchen surely you can think of something to fix it." He smiled.

"Let me see." She knelt down and pushed the apron to one side as she cupped his balls in one hand while licking and kissing him at the same time.

"I may not ever get this cleaning up done at this rate you know." He gasped having trouble talking as she worked her magic.

She looked up at him. "Complaining are we?"

"No. But I think you need to leave your mark on this kitchen." he said as he pulled her up and sat her on the counter top.

Ryan pushed the bib of her apron in to the centre and started to suck on one breast while using his hand on the other. With his other hand he started to slowly stroke up her inner thigh under the small piece of material of the apron until his fingers reached her core and he used them to push into her. She was wet and inviting.

"Ry please."

That was all he needed. He placed his hands on her bare bum and pulled her towards him as he thrust into her, on and on, over and over until they exploded together. Marissa clung to him with her legs wrapped around him not wanting to ever let go. She whispered in his ear. "I like you in an apron."

"You look pretty good too."


	26. The surprise

_Thanks to those of you who are reviewing and enjoying this story. I just thought that I'd let you know that I have been writing this for over 6 months now and so I have a huge amount written. I can post as often as you like. I just wait until I get a few reviews and then I post again because it's the only way that I know if anyone is actually reading. So if you want me to post more often then review more often and I will._

_Thanks. ;-)_

**The Surprise**

Thursday morning they were getting ready for the trip to San Francisco.

"What do you think I should wear?" Marissa asked.

"I don't know. Are you going to go shopping or do you want to come with me?"

"What are you suggesting? I just 'came with you' or was that someone else in the shower." She smiled at her little joke. "I thought you had a meeting with someone?"

"Ha ha. Yeah I do. But then I'm having a look around this health centre. I'd love to have you with me, if you'd like to come along."

"Sure." She shrugged her shoulders. "It sounds interesting. I'd like to see it. I'd like to see what you're doing in Chino too. That sounds amazing."

"Yeah. I must admit. I'm pretty proud of it. It's turning out even better than I'd hoped."

"I just wish that I was doing something that was making a difference in people's lives." Marissa sighed.

"Films can be very….. entertaining?" Ryan suggested.

"Yeah right. And that really compares to what you are doing…. But without a college education there's not much else I can do."

"What would you have done at college if you had gone?" he asked.

"Promise not to laugh?" she looked at him and he could sense her insecurities.

"Sure."

"I thought I'd like to do something with kids. Either teaching or maybe social work or something? You know, I had a pretty screwed up childhood. I'd like to think that my experiences might help someone else. But I guess we'll never know."

"It's not too late. You know you are only 25. You could still go to college."

"Hmm. I guess so. But I think I've probably missed my chance."

"Okay. But if this acting thing doesn't work out will you at least consider it?" He suggested knowing he had ulterior motives. He thought that maybe this way she could stay with him and not return to Paris.

"Sure. But come on, we'd better get going or we will miss our flight."

Ryan smiled knowing the flight wasn't going anywhere without them. He couldn't wait to see her face when she found out about the little surprise he had planned for them.

---

They drove to the airport and Ryan pulled in to the car park of Jet Corp. He got out of the car and took Marissa's hand in his. She looked at him and smiled, not saying anything as they entered the building.

"Good morning Mr Atwood."

"Good morning. Is everything ready?"

"Certainly sir. Your pilot will be with you in a couple of minutes. I'll just let him know you are here."

They sat down in the lounge and waited.

Marissa looked at Ryan. "Private Jet hey?"

Ryan just smiled. "Is there a problem with that?"

"Do you usually fly by private jet?" she asked.

"Sometimes."

"And why this time?"

"Let's just say the motivation this time was entirely different to any other time." he replied trying not to smile as he said it… but failing terribly.

Marissa did her Mona Lisa smile where you could only tell she was smiling by looking into her eyes. "You know you really are desperate Atwood." Her mouth hadn't moved but her eyes were definitely smiling.

Just then a man with close cut dark hair walked out to greet Ryan.

"Ryan. Good to see you." The broad Aussie accent was unmistakeable.

"Skip. So you had nothing better to do today than hang around San Fran."

"Yeah. Something like that. It looks like a beautiful day for flying."

"Skip I'd like you to meet Marissa Cooper. Marissa, Skip Taylor."

"Pleased to meet you Ms Cooper." He smiled with a twinkle in his eye.

"Marissa, please."

"Marissa." Skip nodded and gave her a look over. "You're even more beautiful in person than you are in the photos. You know if you ever get sick of this guy, I'd be pleased to give you my number."

Marissa smiled. She was quite taken a back by his forwardness and wondered what Ryan would do. He had been known to be quiet jealous before.

"Get off with you." Ryan laughed. "She's taken. Find your own girlfriend." He put his arm around her and pulled her in to him.

"So girlfriend is it? What ever happened to sharing with friends?" Skip laughed at Ryan.

"I may share lots of things but I assure you Marissa is not one of them." Ryan smiled and looked at Marissa telling her with his eyes just how special she was to him.

"That's hardly nice. You keep all the good stuff for yourself, hey?" Skip replied.

"Yeah and don't you forget it." Ryan laughed.

"Well come on then. We'd better get going. I'm sure you have a few million to make today. We wouldn't want you to be late." Skip teased.

Marissa looked at Ryan and smiled as he took her hand and walked out to the small jet. When they were safely seated on board, Skip returned. "Andy is the co-pilot today and once we're up in the air, he will come back and see if you'd like any drinks or something to eat."

"Um Skip. We'll be fine. We'd probably just prefer our privacy if it's all the same. If we need a drink I'm sure we can get it ourselves." Ryan replied giving Skip a knowing smile.

"Whatever you'd like Ryan. Buckle up and phones off and we'll be in the air in no time." Skip replied giving Ryan a wink as he turned and walked back to the cockpit.

Both Marissa and Ryan switched off their cell phones and did up their seat belts. "Whatever happened to you being scared of heights I thought that meant flying as well?"

"Well let's just say I've had to do a fair bit of flying in the last couple of years so I've needed to find a way to cope. However if you have an idea for taking my mind off it I'd be pleased to try it out."

Marissa smiled and then as the aircraft started to taxi along the runway she leaned over and kissed him. As the plane gained speed to take off they continued the make out session until they were well up in the air. A short time later Skip's voice came over the intercom.

"Okay folks you're welcome to take your seatbelts off and move around the cabin. It looks like it should be smooth sailing all the way to San Fran. Just remember Ryan don't do anything I wouldn't do." he started to laugh and then the intercom went dead.

"And just what did he mean by that?" Marissa smiled as she turned to Ryan.

"Who do you think told me about the mile high club?" Ryan asked.

"Hmm…Someone's a little confident."

"Shouldn't I be? I mean I've gone to a lot of trouble to set this up. Surely I deserve a little something for my efforts."

"Well I must admit when I said no, this isn't exactly the flight that I had been expecting."

All of a sudden Skip's voice came back again startling them.

"Sorry to interrupt you folks again but I just thought I should tell you that there's actually a bed on this aircraft, behind the curtain down back. You know, just in case you're tired." The chuckle again was unmistakeable as the intercom went dead.

"You really did think of everything hey?" Marissa smiled.

"No I can't take credit for that. I asked for a shower so we could clean up afterwards? I figured that we could make do without a bed. It's not as if we haven't before. The bed's a bonus." He explained.

"Well I guess we should try it out since you've gone to all this trouble."

"We don't have to you know? It was worth it just to be able to be alone with you, without all the attention and prying eyes I'm sure we would've encountered on a commercial flight."

"What going shy on me now? I think it's a bit late for that. And anyhow I'm all for making the most of my opportunities and who knows when this opportunity may come up again." She undid her seat belt and pulled him with her towards the back of the plane. "Let's investigate."

---

Sometime later, they were curled together in the bed and Ryan asked. "I wonder how much these things cost. I'm might not fly commercial ever again."

"If I'm not with you buster, you'll always fly commercial. I don't want you anywhere near one of these without me. And as for Skip, I think he might be a bad influence on you."

"Nah. He's a good guy. I've gotten to know him fairly well. I do actually use these every so often for work when timetables and things don't fit well and also if I have a few of the staff with me. It's easier and we can actually have a meeting on board as well, so we don't waste time."

"Hmmm."

"What."

Well I was just wondering did you do this because 'things don't fit well" or are we 'having a meeting' so we don't waste time.

Ryan thought for a moment and answered "I think this comes under. We're 'having a meeting' and now that parts of us have met I can assure you that we fit very well." He kissed her softly on the lips.

"Hmmm." she smiled. "We do fit well don't we?"

"Uh huh. But I think we should probably go and try out that shower now. It can't be too much longer until we get to San Fran and I think we could both do with a quick shower."

Just then Skip's voice came over the intercom. "Just thought I should warn you folks that we'll be beginning our descent in about 10 minutes, so I'll need you in your seats with you seat belts done up……Just in case it might take you some time to get back to them." He chuckled.

"Either he's a very good friend or he's a little cheeky." Marissa said.

"Probably a bit of both. But I'm sure you'll get to like him. Come on we'd better get moving. He may be cheeky but he's also a very good pilot and he won't bypass safety rules for anyone. I guarantee he'll be back to check we have our seatbelts on before we land. So unless you want him to find you in your present state of undress we'd better get moving." Ryan said as he hopped out of the bed and pulled her with him.

"But we're flying home on the same plane right?" Marissa asked reluctantly following him.

"Yeah. Why."

Marissa smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Just checking."


	27. The Meeting

_**Thanks for the reviews. As I said I do have a huge amount of this story written already and it does take a few interesting turns. Julie's secret will come out in the not too distant future but it creates a few problems of its own. **_

_**As I said earlier, I will post whenever I have a few reviews. I'm not trying to hold you to ransom - it's just that otherwise I don't know if anyone is actually reading. And if they aren't then I don't want to waste my time putting it up. So if you want me to post more often then review more often and I will. Even just a 'post soon' will do.**_

_**Thanks. ;-)**_

**The meeting**

After they had disembarked in San Fran they found their driver and went straight to the address that Ryan had been given. He met up with the government officials and the developers of the project that he was there to look over.

Marissa had been nervous about meeting all these people in case they all thought her to be the "accessory" that had been mentioned in the newspaper article and that they would all treat her as some kind of bimbo. But Ryan introduced Marissa and said that he had asked her along because he "valued her opinion". They obviously had so much respect for Ryan that they readily accepted Marissa and included her in all their discussions.

Marissa watched as Ryan went in to work mode. It was obvious that this was very important to him and he was giving it his full attention while still glancing at her every few minutes to check that she was alright and still feeling included in what was going on.

They first inspected the actual housing development and then made their way to the health centre. As they went to walk in the entrance, there was a woman about Marissa's age, struggling with a baby in a pram and another child about 4 years old trying to get through the doorway? The baby was very distressed and the woman was taking her stress out on the 4 year old.

"Emily, you have to help me here. Grace is sick and I haven't had any sleep and I can't cope with you when you're in this mood." She yelled.

Ryan rushed forward to open the door and help her with the pram. Marissa followed and said. "Would it help if I looked after Emily for you?"

The mother stopped and looked at Marissa.

"I won't take her away. Perhaps I could just read to her in the waiting room and keep an eye on her while you're seeing the doctor?"

"Thank you. I'm sorry for my outburst. I haven't had much sleep lately. I'm Cheryl and this is Emily."

"Hi. I'm Marissa. Perhaps if we just get inside we can get you settled and then I could help." Marissa looked up at Ryan. "You don't need me for a little while do you? I think Cheryl needs my help more than you."

"Sure. I'll just do the guided tour and come back when I've finished. Call me if you need me." He smiled as he left thinking that she had her work cut out for her. Emily was glaring at Marissa. She was obviously not too keen on being expected to spend time with a stranger.

---

Ryan was gone about 45 minutes and when he returned to the waiting room he was shocked to see Emily sitting on Marissa's knee playing with her hair, entranced in the story, and a couple of other children also gathered around listening to Marissa read the book to them. She looked up at him and smiled. "Give me about 5 minutes and I'll be finished. I don't want to disappoint my audience by leaving before the end."

"Okay. No hurry." He sat down in an empty chair and watched as she kept the children mesmerised with the story she was telling. He couldn't help but imagine what she would be like with children of her own. With children of their own, if he had his way. He hadn't thought about it for a long time. Not since he'd been building the house at Newport. But somewhere, somehow he had always imagined having children with her. And that they would make a real family. The kind that they had both wanted for themselves, but had missed out on, for different reasons. But he knew he couldn't rush things. It was hard to imagine that it was only a week ago that Seth had come to visit him at his office and encouraged Ryan to 'make a move'. Part of him felt like he'd been moving ever since and that he was caught up in some whirlwind but he wouldn't have it any other way.

One of the reception staff who noticed this interaction came to Ryan and offered him a coffee while he waited. "Your friend is amazing. She looks like she could be model or something and yet it seems like she couldn't care less what she looks like. The kids have been climbing all over her. I gather she works with children."

"Why do you say that?" Ryan asked.

"Well you can tell by the way she relates to them. I mean a lot of the kids around here haven't had the best start in life and they tend to be a bit defensive, especially of strangers. She somehow won their trust in a very short space of time. I mean look at Emily. Usually when she is here, we draw short straws to see who will try to keep her amused otherwise, she throws a tantrum. But look at her now. If Marissa ever needs a job, I'm sure we can find her one here in a flash."

Ryan smiled. "Thanks for the offer. But she's not looking right now. But I'll let her know so she can keep it in mind for the future."

"You do that."

Just then Marissa closed the book and said good bye to the other children. She picked up Emily and walked over to Ryan. "I just have to take Emily back to Cheryl. She finished with the doctor a little while ago and Grace had fallen asleep so I told her I'd look after Emily until you'd finished. She's just having a rest in her car. So we can go whenever you're ready."

"But Mawissa ... I don't want you to go." Emily cried.

"Em. I'm afraid I have to. I live a long way away from here. This is Ryan and he's my…" Marissa hesitated and then looked at him and smiled "boyfriend and we have to catch a plane so that we can get home. But I promise that the next time I'm in San Francisco, as long as it's okay with your Mum, then I'll come and visit with you. Okay?" Marissa asked giving Emily a big hug.

"I guess so." Emily replied glaring at Ryan as if it was all his fault that Marissa had to leave. "Do you think it will be very long until you come back?" she asked.

"Well I actually have a job in LA that I have to go to. So it could be a little while. But I'll come back as soon as I can. Now let's go and find your mum."

---

After Marissa had said her good byes to Cheryl and Emily, she and Ryan got back into the limo.

"All set?" he asked.

"Yep. I even have Emily's address so that I can visit next time I'm up this way."

Ryan smiled watching her put the piece of paper safely away in her bag. "So….Hungry?"

"I hadn't really thought about it… but yeah I guess. Why?"

"Well I just thought that instead of going straight home we might go and eat at Fisherman's Wharf first. There's this restaurant there that I really love called the Crab House at Pier 39. Skip actually introduced me to it when we had to stay over one night a couple of months back because of bad weather. And the other bonus is that, with a bit of luck the San Francisco paparazzi won't be looking for us. So we may actually be able to have a meal out, without being pestered. What do you say?"

"Sure. But are you having a go at my cooking? After only one night you're desperate to eat out."

"No. I love your cooking. I just thought this would be a nice change. We haven't actually tried eating out since our little visit to the diner in Newport. Which wasn't exactly a great success."

"Yeah. That was….interesting. But eating out sounds great and you know I love seafood."

"Okay. Then I'll just call Skip and let him know what we're doing. He may like to join us? Would that be a problem?"

"Not at all. I think he's probably a lot of fun. Perhaps dangerous, if you were on your own, then I think he might lead you astray. But I'm sure that with me as chaperone, the pair of you won't get into too much trouble." She smiled.

"What us?" Ryan tried very hard to sound surprised at what she was suggesting.

"Yes…you." She laughed and raised her eyebrows at him trying to give him 'the look' but failing.

---

They met up with Skip a short time later and made their way to the Wharf.

The restaurant they went to was extremely busy and for good reason. The food was delicious. They were all enjoying their meals when Skip asked how Ryan's meeting had gone.

"Yeah. Good. I think we should be able to build something really worthwhile. I liked a lot of their ideas. Although it seemed as if the clinic needed to be about twice the size." He turned to Marissa. "That waiting room was bedlam. You spent a bit of time there? Do you think it's always like that or did we just hit it on a bad day?"

Marissa looked at him. "Umm… I was actually going to talk to you about that."

Ryan waited, wondering why Marissa was hesitating and what she was about to say.

"Well...I know you're much better at all this sort of thing than I am… but I was… I was going to suggest that maybe you could think about somehow incorporating a child care facility into the community health centre. Most of that bedlam was being caused by the brothers and sisters of the sick children. Kids like Emily. The parents are having enough trouble coping with their sick children and unfortunately sometimes the wait is quite long, so the other children get restless with nothing to do. If you could maybe have a long and short term care facility either in the same building or at least close by then it would certainly take some of the pressure off the health clinic. The staff was getting involved in looking after the healthy children and keeping them entertained and I'm sure their time could be better spent caring for the sick children. If you had taken all of the healthy children out of there today, then I think things would have been quite a bit different."

Ryan listened intently to every word she said. "That's a great idea. I'll suggest it to them tomorrow and see if we can get the funding to incorporate it into the same project. I'd be happy to make the extra land available for free so I can't see the government baulking at the extra construction costs. I'll make sure the difference is minimal." He looked over at Marissa. "I knew I brought you along for something." He smiled and leaned over to give her a kiss.

Skip watched the two of them and said "And I thought you brought her along to..."

"Skip! We don't need to know what you thought." Ryan laughed. "You'll get me in to trouble."

Marissa felt herself start to blush. She realised that Skip knew exactly what Ryan and Marissa had been up to on the flight. She smiled looking at the two friends feeling very self conscious.

Ryan noticed her embarrassment and said "How about we get out of here and go home?" he looked over at her and gave her leg a small squeeze under the table.

"Sure…Sounds good. I just have to visit the bathroom. I won't be long." Marissa said as she stood up and excused herself.

Skip looked at Ryan. "Is there any more of those where that one came from?"

"No I think she's one of a kind." Ryan smiled. "And hands off she's mine."

"She really is something." Skip added.

Ryan was still watching her as she made her way across the crowded restaurant. "Yeah. She is."

"So I gather she's the reason you haven't been up for double dating with me."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because of the way you look at her. You can't tell me that you haven't fallen hard for her. And you don't fall that hard in a week. There's obviously history here that I don't know about."

Ryan smiled. "Yeah. You're right. But don't worry about the past, I'm hoping that there will be a future. So you'll get to know her."

"Well from the way she looks at you, I'd be prepared to bet on it…..She doesn't have any friends she could set me up with does she?"

Ryan laughed. "Not that I know of but I'll check. Even if it's just to make sure you don't become my competition."

"Nah…..You know I don't like to lose. And from the way she looks at you it's a done deal so why would I put myself though it if I've got no chance?"

"Yeah well your turn will come. But here comes Marissa. Let's get out of here."

---

When they were safely underway on their return to LA, Ryan turned to Marissa and said "I really like your idea about the child care facility. It makes a lot of sense. I knew there was a good reason for having you with me."

"What? You mean other than the mile high club?" she smiled teasing him.

"Yeah. Mind you that was a good reason too." He smiled and squeezed her hand. "See, you're making yourself indispensable…. By the way, I forgot to tell you that you actually got offered a job at the Health Centre today."

"What? You're joking."

"No. Seriously. The woman in charge came and said if you were ever looking for a job that she was sure they could find one for you because you were so good with the kids."

"That's silly. I was probably having more fun than they were. What did you say to her?"

"Just that I'd pass on the offer. I wondered if I should try to talk you into it. At least San Fran is a lot closer than Paris when you've finished with the film."

Marissa looked at him. She didn't like to think of the fact that all of this may be only temporary. "Yeah. But I don't think the pay would keep me 'in the way I've become accustomed' as my mother would say."

"How about if I employed you? Would you consider that?" Ryan asked scared to even consider the fact that she may leave him for the other side of the world in a few weeks.

"Don't be silly." Marissa laughed and added "I'm sure you're much too astute a businessman to waste your money and I don't have any skills that you need."

"Ah. But that's where you're wrong. I need you very, very much." Ryan's eyes met hers and she turned away scared that she was reading too much into his offer.

Marissa thought to herself that she would love to be with him forever. But she didn't think that was what he was offering. There was no doubt that they were good together sexually… hell they were great. But that wasn't enough for them to consider being together forever. She didn't want to be some sort of 'kept woman'. That just wasn't her. She wanted the whole shebang. Marriage, kids the lot. But they still had a lot to resolve before they could even consider that. But they were definitely getting closer. It seemed the more time she spent with him the better things got.

Marissa looked out the window wanting to change the subject. "Wasn't Emily adorable?"

Ryan realised that she had deliberately changed the subject. But he didn't want to put any pressure on her. If she wasn't ready to talk about what would happen when the film was finished then he wouldn't push it just yet. But he knew he wanted her in his future. He would just have to wait until she was ready to talk about it. He smiled and said "Yeah I guess. But I don't think she was a big fan of mine."

"That's only because she doesn't know you like I do."

"I assure you that no one 'knows' me like you do."

"Good. Let's keep it that way. And any how I'm a huge fan of yours. Isn't that all you need?"

"Yeah. That's the most important thing. I think Emily thought I was responsible for taking you away. I doubt she'll ever forgive me."

"I'm sure that's not the case. I just..." Marissa stopped what she had been about to say and turned and looked out the window.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"No. It's not nothing. What's going through that head. I can almost hear the wheels grinding."

She turned and smiled as she shook her head. "I can't tell you. You'd run a mile."

"Try me."

She shook her head again.

"Remember we said we were going to be honest with each other?" he pushed.

She looked at him as if to say please don't ask me this.

"Well. Be honest." He added. "Whatever it is, it'll be fine. I promise I'm not going anywhere. You've got me trapped. We're on a plane and I'm scared of heights so I'm not about to jump."

Marissa smiled. "Yeah. But what about when we land? You'll take off as soon as you get a chance."

"I assure you that's not going to happen." He squeezed her hand for reassurance.

She took a deep breathe. "I was just wondering…" she looked up at him not sure if she should continue. "what our children would be like…. You know if we ever had any. Just, you know sometime in the future, if everything turns out okay between us and you don't get sick of me and throw me out on the street." She knew she was rambling but she was so nervous as to whether he would feel she was putting too much pressure on their relationship.

Ryan hesitated before he answered, measuring his words carefully. "As long as they took after their mother they would be perfect." Ryan replied and leaned over and kissed her gently. "And don't worry, I've already been thinking about it. When I was sitting watching you today, the same thoughts were going through my head."

Marissa looked deep in to his eyes looking for any hint that he was trying to be funny but found nothing remotely like that. She thought she could drown in their blue depths.

She reached over and undid his seat belt and then took off hers and stood and pulled him with her.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Let's go and practise making them just in case we ever decide we might want to for real. Cause you know they say practise makes perfect."

He smiled and followed her willingly. "I'm definitely up for practice."


	28. Julie panics

_Thank for the reviews. Keep them coming and I'll keep posting. Things are about to get interesting._

**Julie panics**

Julie was sitting with Dan after dinner. He was reading the newspaper and she was watching TV. He frowned and then looked up and said "Did you know there was some incident on the set of Marissa's film yesterday? Apparently Jake Hammond was taken away by the police. It says here that it is thought that he may have attacked Marissa. I wonder if she's okay? You should call her and check."

"I spoke to her yesterday and she's fine. She told me about it. Apparently he attacked her twice."

"Well I hope they throw the book at him. Is he the man in this photo with her? He is very good looking. I must say." he asked as he continued reading. Julie moved towards him to look at the photo. "Ah… no apparently it isn't." Dan added. "This is a photo of her and Ryan Atwood. And it says here 'Also we have had confirmation that there is definitely something going on between supermodel turned actress Marissa Cooper and multi-millionaire architect/developer Ryan Atwood. The two were seen kissing on set yesterday and now speculation is rife that Atwood, one of America's Hottest Bachelors may be off the market.' Boy no wonder Marissa never seemed to be interested in any of the guys over here. She was obviously hanging out for something better. She can really pick them. He's a multi-millionaire and obviously good looking as well. I could get him work as a model any day. He looks more like a movie star than she does."

Julie felt sick. She looked at the photo and much as it galled her to admit it, he really was gorgeous. How could she convince Marissa to keep away from him when he looked like that? The little boy had grown into a man and he literally oozed sex appeal. Even Julie had to admit it. "I think I might go and call her again. Just to check she's okay."

"Good idea."

Julie went in to the study and tried to call but just got Marissa's voicemail. She tried again an hour later and still nothing. She needed to talk to her but she was starting to wonder why Marissa wouldn't pick up. Was she screening and just refusing to pick up her calls after their little disagreement yesterday or what?

In desperation, she decided to ring Summer.

"Hello" Summer answered.

"Summer?"

"Mrs Cooper Nicol?" Summer was stunned. What would Julie be calling her for?

"Call me Julie."

"Um…. okay."

"I'm glad I've got you. I wasn't sure if you may have changed your number." Julie said trying to put Summer at ease. She could hear the hesitation in Summer's voice.

"No….It's always been the same." Summer couldn't imagine why Julie would be calling her. But she did think it couldn't be good.

"I've been trying to call Marissa. But I can't reach her. I need to talk to her and she's not answering her phone. Do you happen to know where she is?"

"Um… yeah. She's in San Francisco."

"What's she doing in San Francisco?"

"Um…She went with Chino. I mean Ryan. We've got a couple of days off while they recast Jake's role and Ryan had some work commitments up there." Summer explained.

Julie felt even worse than before. Marissa was actually with him right now. She had to try to get in touch with her before anything happened between them. "I was just concerned about how she was going….after the incident with Jake." Julie added, hoping Summer would believe her little lie and tell her how to get in touch with Marissa.

"I'm sure she's fine and that there's no problem. Knowing her she probably turned her phone off for the flight up and then forgot to turn it back on. They'll be back sometime tonight. Do you want me to give her a message?" Summer asked.

"Um no. I'll just try her again later or I'll leave a message for her on her voicemail." If Julie felt sick before, it was nothing compared to how she felt now. Summer had spoken about Ryan and Marissa as if they were a couple. A couple. Julie started to panic. She had to do something. She ran through things in her mind and them made a decision. She went back into the lounge and spoke to Dan.

"I've decided to go to LA for a few days. I need to see Marissa."

"She's upset is she? I guess she would be. Of course you go. I can look after myself. Just let me know how she is and if there's anything I can do."

"Sure." Julie couldn't say too much. She didn't like lying to Dan. But the fact was, she didn't care at all about what had happened with Jake all she was worried about was what was happening with Ryan. But she didn't think that Dan would understand. So it was better just to let him think what he liked about her little trip.

"When do you want to go?" Dan asked.

"As soon as possible. Could you get on the net and book me a ticket and I'll go and throw a few things together to take with me. Just get me the first seat available. Even if I have to travel Coach class.

"Whoa. You really are worried. I didn't think you'd ever travel anything but first class."

'Well I just need to get there as soon as I can."

---

Once in the gate lounge Julie tried Marissa's phone again. It went to voicemail again but this time she waited and then at the prompt she said. "Marissa it's your mother. I can't believe that you didn't tell me that you are spending time with him. After all I've said to you. I'm coming to LA to try to make you see sense. I don't know where you are staying so could you please just get me a suite in the same hotel. I'll call you when I get in to get the address. I should be there early Friday morning your time. So I'll see you then. Just don't do anything stupid before I get there."

Julie felt sick. She didn't know what to do. Marissa hadn't bothered to tell Julie that she had actually kissed him. There was obviously more going on than Marissa had revealed. She decided she would have to come up with a way to break them up again somehow. And if that wasn't possible then she would have to see if she could some how cover her tracks about the last time before it all came out.

---

It was late by the time Ryan and Marissa got back to the penthouse and when they entered the apartment they noticed the flashing light on the phone. Ryan walked over to it and pressed the button to listen to the message.

"Hi it's me." Summer's voice filled the room. "I hope you had a good day…Um because I'm not sure if I might have done the wrong thing or not. Um ... Coop your mum rang looking for you. I guess your cell must have been turned off or something but anyhow I told her you were with Chino. I hope that was okay. If it wasn't, I'm really sorry. And now... thinking about it ... I probably shouldn't have said anything. But I did and I'm so sorry if it causes problems for you two." Summer was starting to ramble. "Please forgive me. But I guess she sort of caught me off guard. I mean I haven't spoken to her for years. Anyhow, the more I think about it the worse I feel because I think I really shouldn't have said anything so please forgive me. Aw. And when I asked did she want me to give you a message she said she'd leave one for you on your cell. So I'll talk to you tomorrow. That's if your still talking to me I guess. ….Um….Bye….and sorry." And the line went dead.

Marissa felt herself go weak in the knees and sat down and reached into her bag for her cell and turned it back on.

Ryan walked over to press the erase button on the machine and said "She's sure got herself in to a state over nothing. You should probably call her and let her know that it's not a problem." He turned and looked at Marissa who was now sitting down. She had gone quite pale. "Riss are you feeling okay? Was there a problem with the seafood?"

"Um. I just need to listen to this message." she said as she pulled her cell from her bag and turned it on to connect to her voicemail.

Ryan was concerned about her and went into the kitchen and got her a glass of water. When he returned Marissa was deathly white. All the colour had gone from her face and she looked like she was about to pass out. "Riss. Riss. Are you okay? Do you want me to call the doctor?"

"No. It's just…" she put her phone down.

"What? What's wrong? Is something wrong with Julie?"

"No….." she shook her head. "It's… She's… coming… to LA. She'll be here in the morning."

"So what's the problem? I'm sorry. I don't understand."

"Ryan. It's my mother. She still thinks I'm staying at the hotel and she wants me to book a suite there for her."

"Well she can stay here. We've got plenty of spare rooms. She can take her pick." He said. "As long as it's not ours of course." He laughed.

"Ryan don't you understand. This is my mother we're talking about. Don't you remember she's not one of your biggest fans? She'd have a coronary if she thought we were sharing a bedroom."

"Riss, that was a long time ago. We're 25 years old now. I think that Julie of all people would understand that we are sleeping together. It's not as if she is the type to recommend celibacy. That would be fairly hypocritical given her track record."

Marissa said nothing just shook her head. She didn't know how she could tell him about how her mother reacted whenever he was mentioned.

"It'll be fine. Really." Ryan tried to reassure her.

"Ryan. Don't you understand? She hates you…. with a passion." She added trying to get through to him the intensity of Julie's feelings.

"No. It'll be fine. Julie and I came to a sort of understanding after…." He stopped he didn't want to think about the last time he saw Julie.


	29. The Truth Comes Out

_Okay this is in celebration of me finding out that one of my reviewers is Aussie as am I. So enjoy! And remember the sooner you review the faster you get the next post._

**The Truth Comes Out**

Marissa looked at him puzzled. When had he and Julie ever spoken? "Ryan?"

"Um….Yeah?" he hung his head not wanting to recall the last time he had seen Julie.

"After what?" Marissa asked.

Now it was Ryan that shook his head not wanting to say anymore. It hurt too much to think about what had happened that fateful New Year's Eve.

"Ryan after what?" Marissa knew he was keeping something from her. "You remember on the plane today, you made me talk to you when I didn't want to. You reminded me that we had promised that we were going to be honest with each other. Well now it's your turn."

"Riss I don't know if I can go back there. It brings back too many bad memories. I rather just concentrate on where we are at now."

"Ryan we have to deal with these things if we are ever going to have a future together. Now what are you talking about?"

Ryan sat down beside her and took a deep breathe and then let it out slowly trying to prepare himself for the emotions he knew were about to come out. He took her hand in his and interlaced their fingers, wanting to somehow reassure himself that they really were together and that she was not running away this time. "Well…. That New Year when I came to visit you in New York. Julie and I had a really good talk."

"What New Year? You never came to New York." Marissa looked at him obviously puzzled by what he was talking about.

"I did. The last year of college. Surely you must remember." He couldn't believe that it had meant so little to her.

Marissa just kept shaking her head with a puzzled frown on her brow. She obviously had no idea what he was talking about.

"You must. You had been going to come to the Cohen's for the holidays but you couldn't make it. You had some photo shoots or something."

"Yeah I remember that."

"Well I was missing you so much I decided to fly to New York and surprise you for New Year's Eve….. I guess I was hoping it would go something like our first."

Marissa smiled remembering him arriving at Oliver's penthouse on the stroke of midnight. It was the first time he ever said 'I love you' to her. She squeezed his hand. She had a bad feeling. Something was not right about all this. "Go on."

Ryan hung his head. He could feel his heart breaking all over again as he thought about it. "Well you know the rest….. You took off to London. Julie met me at the airport and did your dirty work. She told me that you'd decided to go before I got there because you'd moved on and didn't feel the same way about me anymore but that you didn't know how to tell me. That since you were now famous, that really, a poor college student from Chino didn't fit in with your plans and that I was just holding you back from what you really wanted."

There was total silence. Ryan looked up at Marissa and he could see the tears in her eyes as the drops started to run down her face.

"Riss. Don't cry. I don't blame you. I know we were at different stages in our lives. I'm just glad we've got together now. And maybe it was good. I mean…what do you think drove me to achieve so much. I wanted to be worthy of you. I understand that I was just a poor student that couldn't possibly compete with the rich, successful and handsome men you were dealing with every day."

"Argh." Marissa let out a heart wrenching cry. She sounded like a wounded animal. "How could she do it?"

"Who? Do what?" Ryan moved to hold Marissa. She was sobbing hysterically by this stage.

"Don't you realise?" she said between sobs. "I wasn't in London. I didn't go to London til a few days after New Year. I was sitting at home feeling miserable because you didn't call. She told me she was going to some friends and when she came home and I was still sitting beside the phone she told me that she had heard from some friends in Newport that you were back with Lindsay. And that I shouldn't make your life more difficult for you since I was going away anyhow. She convinced me that you and Lindsay were perfect for one another. Both destined for college. And that as you'd moved on, then so should I. I was never interested in anyone but you."

"But I've never even seen Lindsay since high school." Ryan explained.

Marissa shook her head. "Don't you understand? My mother doesn't need facts to embellish her stories. But how did she know you were coming to New York?"

"I called and let her know. I didn't want to fly all the way here and then find you'd gone out and I couldn't track you down, so I asked her to make sure you would be at home."

"So that's why. I can still remember we had a big fight that night because she wanted me to go out to some glamorous party but I was missing you too much to be any fun for anyone so I decided to stay home."

"Well Julie came and met me at the airport and then said you'd gone so I decided to just catch the next flight back. She actually sat and talked with me while I waited for my plane."

"I guess she wanted to make sure you didn't change your mind and stay in New York."

"Maybe. But what about the letter?" he asked.

"What letter?"

"On the flight on the way home I thought about what your mother had said, but I still couldn't believe it, I wanted so much to believe in us, so I spent the whole flight trying to put into words what you meant to me and how I felt about you and I posted it at the airport. But you didn't even reply. That was when I knew for sure that you had moved on."

"Don't you understand I never moved on? And I didn't get the letter. I'm guessing my mother successfully got rid of that too, just as she got rid of you. A few days later, after I had arrived in London, I tried to email you, just to find out if we really had no chance of getting back together but I got no reply. It wasn't until after that, that I decided to stay in London. My mother convinced me that it would make it easier for me to get over you if I was to make a fresh start. Plus it would remove the possibility of me ever running into you and Lindsay and I knew I would not have been able to bear that."

"I didn't ever get the email. There's obviously a lot more to sort out but I guess I'd like to concentrate on the positives and I think the most important part of all this is that maybe you didn't stop ….." all of a sudden he didn't know what to say. He looked at Marissa. She held her breathe as she looked deeply into his eyes.

"Loving you?" Marissa finished for him.

"Um yeah?" he looked at her hopefully.

"Nope. You've got me hook, line and sinker. Even when I thought you were back with Lindsay I couldn't stop. I still loved you." She smiled.

Ryan held her face between his hands and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs he looked at her and added. "You know I've always loved you. Since the first time we met at the end of the driveway. You took my breathe away and you still do." He leaned in and kissed her deeply.

"And I love you too. I've never stopped. I don't think I could even if I tried." She smiled as his lips met hers again.

---

"So what are we going to do about your mother?" Ryan asked.

"She can go to hell. I hate her. And if I ever see her again it will be too soon."

"I'm sure you don't mean that."

"Ryan. Look at what she has cost us? Don't tell me you think I should forgive her for this?"

"No. But I do know that in some warped way she probably thought she was doing you a favour. Mother's can be like that. Look at mine. They will always be able to justify what they did as being in your best interest."

"I can't believe that she didn't say something. It was because of you that I eventually decided to move to Europe."

"Because of me?" Ryan looked at her stunned.

Marissa looked down at her hands and twisted her fingers together trying to find the words to tell him the rest. "I can tell you now, I guess, that I was so heartbroken that, after a while, I even took her advice and saw a shrink again. After a few weeks of therapy he advised mum that it may be easier for me to move on if I distanced myself from 'the problem'. I think that meant you. And…." She looked up at Ryan almost ashamed to admit to the next part but wanting there to be no more secrets between them. "I ended up on anti-depressants just so I could get through the days….. and nights. I can't believe that she could still keep up the charade even though she knew what it was doing to me."

Ryan reached out and held her tightly. He didn't ever want to let her go. "Eventually we will get to the bottom of exactly what she did and why, but for now … just know that I love you. I never stopped and I never will. So what say we go to bed and we'll sort everything else out in the morning?"

Marisa shook her head. "I won't be able to sleep. I just can't believe that we have lost so much time together all because of her."

"Well the most important thing right now is that she didn't win. You've found your way back to me and I don't intend to ever let you go. Hopefully you'll decide to make this move permanent. But if not then I'll have to move my business to Paris because I'm not letting you out of my life ever again. I don't function properly without you."

Marissa looked at him and felt her heart swell. How had she got so lucky to have him in her life? "Okay. But I'm not talking to her. So don't even think about suggesting it. She can go and rot in hell for all I care."

"How about we deal with it tomorrow? Tonight I want to concentrate on us. Don't you realise that this is the first time in years that we can actually go to sleep confident in how we feel about one another. Mind you I don't think Julie would sleep too well if she knew about the little conversation we've just had."

"I'm guessing that's why she's on her way. She probably realised that once we got close and started to talk then we were bound to work out what had gone on."

"Now us getting 'close' sounds like something I'd like to do." Ryan put his finger under her chin and lifted her face until her eyes met his. "We can't do anymore about Julie til tomorrow. So how about we go to bed. We'll sort Julie out then."

"Ry. I feel so miserable…I mean it's my mother that has caused all this. How could you even want to have anything to do with me? Especially, when you know that I'm half her. I'm so ashamed to even think about it." Marissa hung her head back down not wanting to look at him.

"Riss. I don't know how to say this more clearly. I…Love…You. I don't care about who your mother is. I only care about you. There is no way that I will let Julie come between us again. Please just believe me. Pus it's not as if my family is anything to brag about."

Marissa looked back at him wondering how he could possibly just dismiss all that her mother had done to them.

"Please come to bed. We'll deal with everything else in the morning." Ryan leant in and kissed her tenderly, urging her lips apart with his tongue.

Marissa pulled back a little. "I don't know if I want to… you know. I just feel too miserable." Marissa looked at him hoping he would understand.

"Riss, I just want to hold you. And keep you close to me. I've spent too many nights on my own thinking about you. Having you beside me, in my arms is more than enough. We've got all the time in the world."

Marissa smiled as she looked at him and she could feel her heart swell. "Have I told you how much I love you?"

"Not enough. I could never get sick of hearing it."

"Well I do." She put her head on his shoulder and they walked off to bed.


	30. Ryan calls for help

_Thanks for the reviews. As I said keep reviewing and I'll keep posting. ;-)_

**Ryan calls for help**

Ryan woke early the next morning. They hadn't got much sleep. Which actually wasn't all that unusual for them but usually it had been for much more pleasurable reasons. They had talked and Marissa had cried and he had held her trying to cocoon her with his love. He had lain awake since about 4 trying to think of what they should do but he really had no idea. He decided that he needed some help. About 5, Marissa had fallen into a restless sleep but she was at least asleep so he didn't want to wake her. He carefully removed his arm from around her and slid out of bed and put on a pair of boxers and quietly made his way out of the bedroom and into his study and closed the door to make sure he didn't disturb her. He dialled the Cohen's knowing that Sandy should be up by now and wanting to catch him before he went for his surf.

"Hello?" Sandy answered tentatively wondering who would call at this hour.

"Hi Sandy."

"Ryan? It's very early for you to be calling. Is everything alright?"

"Well… Yes and No." Ryan ran his fingers through his hair looking for inspiration as to just how to begin to tell Sandy about everything that had happened.

"Ryan. What is it? Is it Seth? Summer? Is everyone all right?" Sandy asked knowing that Ryan wouldn't ring at this time of the morning without a very good reason.

"Yeah….. I mean Seth and Summer are fine as far as I know…. It's Marissa."

"What?" Sandy felt sick. "Don't tell me she's taken off on you again? I can't believe that she would..." Sandy had been scared that this might happen.

"Sandy. It's nothing like that. We're closer than ever. But look, I... sorry… WE… really need your help. Do you think there's a chance you could come to LA. I think I need to tell you this in person and I don't want to wake Marissa. She's been awake crying almost all night and has just fallen asleep. But I don't think I can explain it over the phone."

"Sure kid." Sandy had a million thoughts going through his mind wondering what the problem could possibly be. But it didn't really matter. If Ryan wanted him in LA then that's where he was headed. "I'll be there within the hour. I'll just leave Kirsten a note and head out. You put on the coffee. What ever it is we'll sort it out together."

Ryan felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders just to know that Sandy was coming. "Um Sandy?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think that Kirsten would come with you? She might be able to get through to Marissa. I think she may be the only one who can."

"Sure. I'll just have to wake her up. We'll be there as soon as we can." Sandy put the phone back in its cradle and hesitated. He had no idea what was wrong.

---

Sandy walked in to the bedroom to get dressed and wake up Kirsten but she was already awake. The phone had obviously disturbed her.

"Who was on the phone at this hour?" she asked.

"Um it was Ryan. He wants us to go to LA as soon as we can."

"Has something happened to Seth and Summer?" Kirsten asked as she sat up in a hurry.

"No. All he said was that it's something to do with Marissa and he needs our help. Whatever it is, he wants to tell us in person."

"She hasn't up and left him again has she?"

"No. I asked the same question and he assured me that they were closer than ever. Apparently they have been up all night and she has just fallen asleep so he didn't want to wake her." Sandy explained.

Kirsten was already moving around the room getting dressed. "Well come on then. Hurry. Ryan doesn't ask for help often, so it must be important."

---

As Sandy and Kirsten drove along the freeway headed for LA both were lost in their own thoughts wondering what the problem could be.

"Do you think it could have something to do with all this Jake business?" Kirsten suggested.

"I don't know. I thought the same thing. I know when Seth called and said Jake had had another go at Marissa at the studio, I was stunned. But I understand he was arrested so it couldn't be him again."

There was silence in the car as both were lost in their own thoughts.

After a few minutes Kirsten added. "You know there's only one other thing I can think of."

"Yeah." Sandy nodded. "Unfortunately, I think I know what that is. I've already been thinking the same thing."

"But surely….it's not possible. They've only just gotten back together. Even if they have set some sort of record and jumped straight back in to bed, surely she couldn't be pregnant already?"

"Well, I know they have been sleeping together." Sandy said.

Kirsten looked at him amazed. "How would you know something like that?"

"Remember when I had to swap cars back on Tuesday?"

"Yeah?"

"Well we were having a little chat. And Ryan mentioned that the reason he was so concerned about the paparazzi was because he didn't know exactly what was going on between he and Marissa because they hadn't really talked yet."

"So?" Kirsten asked.

"Well I asked him how could that be? That if she had spent the whole weekend with him and they hadn't talked then what had they been doing. Well…. He didn't actually say straight out. But if you had seen his reaction and the colour of red he went, I think it could safely be assumed that a fair amount of last weekend was spent between the sheets…. getting reacquainted."

"Oh my." Kirsten sighed and looked out the window. "I'd convinced myself that that couldn't be it because they wouldn't have gotten to that stage yet."

"Yeah." Sandy added. "And I'm afraid it might be even worse than that."

"What do you mean worse? How can it be worse."

"Well. If our suspicions are correct and she is pregnant then I'm afraid that she may have decided to get rid of it. It would explain Ryan's reaction on the phone."

"What? But Ryan wouldn't let….." Kirsten started.

"I know what Ryan would want to do. But what about Marissa? I mean she is a famous model. Maybe a child is not in her plans for the future or at least the immediate future. Pregnancy would sort of play havoc with her figure. What are we going to do if that's what we're walking in to? Ryan did specifically ask me to bring you along. He said he thought you might be the only one able to get through to Marissa."

"It would break Ryan's heart if she aborted their child. You and I both know that he has always loved her." Kirsten commented.

"I know. Let's hope we're totally wrong and it doesn't come to that."

Kirsten looked at Sandy. "They were so happy when they were together on Sunday. They deserve to be happy. Please don't let something like this split them apart again."

"We'll just have to wait and see. It's not far now. Do you think we should stop and pick up some breakfast on the way?" Sandy asked.

"If we are even close to right then I doubt that anyone is going to be hungry." Kirsten replied and looked back out the window.

---

Sandy and Kirsten stood at the door of Ryan's penthouse. He took her hand in his. Neither of them was really ready to confront what they expected was waiting for them on the other side of the door but they both knew that they would face anything for Ryan. They loved him like their own son and they would help him in any way they could.

They pressed the door bell and waited for Ryan to open the door.

"Thanks for coming." He hugged both Sandy and Kirsten and then motioned for them to go into the lounge. "I've got that coffee ready for you just like you ordered. I'll bring some in." Ryan tried to smile but they could see that he hadn't had much sleep and the strain he was under was obvious.

He bought a tray into the lounge with three mugs of coffee and passed Sandy and Kirsten one each and sat down across from them.

Ryan looked into his coffee trying to find how to start to tell them about what had happened last night.

"I'm sorry I had to ask you to come up here. But I just didn't know what to do. I……" he hesitated and looked at them for inspiration.

There was an uncomfortable silence while Ryan tried to find the words to start to tell them what had happened.

"Ryan. We think we know what the problem is." Kirsten started, wanting to save him the discomfit of finding the words to tell them he had put himself in this situation …again. She had thought it would never happen again after Theresa.

"But how could you?" Ryan shook his head.

"Well we just put two and two together. If Marissa's pregnant then..."

"What?" Ryan said.

"What?" They all turned as they heard Marissa's voice from the hallway. They all turned to look at her. She stood at the entrance to the lounge wearing one of Ryan's sweatshirts. She emerged in to the lounge and sat beside Ryan.

He took her hand and kissed her lovingly. "I hope you don't mind. I asked Sandy and Kirsten here to help us with our problem."

She snuggled in to him and smiled. "No. But what's this about me being pregnant?"

"Well... we just thought…" Sandy started.

"What? That Marissa was pregnant. But I told you we had a problem?" Ryan said. Ryan couldn't see how that would be a problem.

"Yeah. Well we thought that maybe she was thinking about having an abortion and that you wanted me to talk her out of it." Kirsten added.

"I can assure you that if I am ever lucky enough to be carrying our child" she looked at Ryan and squeezed his hand just to make sure he understood how much the idea appealed to her "I will cherish it with my life." Marissa said and then looked at Sandy and Kirsten in disbelief. "I can't imagine how you would ever think I could do that."

Sandy and Kirsten sat there stunned.

"Then what did you need us here for?" Sandy and Kirsten were completely bewildered. It was obvious from their actions that Ryan and Marissa were closer than ever. So what was the problem?

"Well, I guess I need to go back and tell you what happened in final year of college for it to make any sense." Ryan started.

Sandy and Kirsten looked at one another. They knew how broken hearted Ryan had been when Marissa had moved away. They knew it would be difficult for him to talk about it.

"This is about New Year's? When you split up?" Kirsten asked.

"Well yes and no." Ryan said.

"I think I've already had one of those answers today and it led me to think that Marissa was pregnant. So I think you better be a bit more explicit." Sandy suggested.

Ryan smiled. "Well. You know I went to New York that New Year's to surprise Marissa?"

"Yeah. But you returned the very next day and wouldn't talk to anyone."

"Well…That's because Julie met me at the airport and told me that Marissa was on her way to London. She said she was sorry to be the one to tell me but that Marissa had moved on and that she had left early because she didn't want to have to tell me herself that she no longer felt the same way about me. That she had outgrown the poor college student from Chino now that she was a famous model and that I was holding Marissa back."

Sandy and Kirsten both started to understand just what had brought about the change in Ryan at that time and why he had changed so much almost overnight. They had always known that it was something to do with Marissa but never quite what.

"But it was all lies." Marissa assured them. "That night I was actually sitting at home beside the phone waiting for Ryan to call. I thought he was still angry with me because I had cancelled our holiday plans because of work. I was waiting to call him at midnight when my mum returned home and told me she had been talking to some friends from Newport who told her that Ryan was back with Lindsay."

"Lindsay? But Ryan hasn't …" Kirsten started.

"I know that now. But at the time…. I hadn't seen him for so long. And I guess I had always been a little jealous of what they had together. They were so smart and everything. So anyhow ... I took off for London the next day having no idea that Ryan had ever even been to New York. I sent a couple of emails once I was in London but they were never answered."

"We don't know quite how she did it but we figure Julie's responsible for that too. I had written Marissa a letter on the flight home from New York that I posted at LAX but she didn't ever receive it either. All we know for sure is that we never stopped loving one another." Ryan put his arm around Marissa and pulled her towards him so that he could feel her body beside his.

"But then this is wonderful news. Why did you have us so concerned that you had some sort of problem?" Kirsten asked.

"Well we only realised all of this last night when Marissa got a message from her mother to say she was coming here to see her." Ryan said.

"I hadn't told mum that I had moved in with Ryan." Marissa looked up and realised from the surprised expressions on Sandy and Kirsten's faces that they hadn't told them either.

"Oops." Ryan stated. "It only happened yesterday. Sorry, we would have told you but we were in San Fran for the day."

"That's okay. I guess we knew it was inevitable after seeing you two together last weekend. You certainly don't mess around. Well maybe that's a bad choice of words." Sandy laughed. "But then I guess you've got a lot of time to make up for. We're happy for you. Really." He assured them.

"So how did you work all this out?" Kirsten asked.

"Well, when I told Ryan that mum was coming, he said she could stay here. But I tried to tell him that mum still hated him and he was saying that they had come to an understanding when he had visited New York and we ended up putting it all together."

"So. The problem is?" Kirsten asked.

"Well Julie arrives in LA this morning sometime. Marissa has said that she will never speak to her again and I guess I'm just not sure where we should go from here. I mean part of me would be interested to find out just how much trouble Julie went to, to manipulate the split. I mean I don't understand why she hates me so much. But then another part of me feels like Marissa, that I don't want to have anything to do with her. We have lost so much time together because of her interference. But then she is Marissa's mother and she will be the grandmother of our children so…'' he looked up to see Kirsten smiling.

"What did I say that's so funny?" Ryan asked.

"Nothing. I just liked the way that came out so easily." She replied.

"What?" Ryan asked puzzled.

"Talking about your children. Do you two have any idea how I or should I say we, feel … right at this moment?"

Ryan and Marissa shook their heads.

"I know you have some issues to deal with but let's not forget the most important thing here. You two have been meant to be together since you first met. I can still remember walking in on you in the pool house the first time. I'm just so happy that even after everything you've been through; you never stopped loving one another. I can't wait to hold these children you're talking about."

Ryan looked at Marissa and smiled. "I guess your right….. But what should we do about Julie?"


	31. What to do about Julie?

_I was so impressed with how quickly you reviewed, I thought I'd give you another. Enjoy !_

**What to do about Julie?**

"Well you know I think better on a full stomach. So why don't you and Marissa go and get dressed and we'll take you out for breakfast and talk about it." Sandy suggested.

"I've got a better idea." Kirsten said. "Why don't you go and get us some bagels from the store and I'll put on a fresh pot of coffee. I think it might be better if we talk through this in private rather than with an audience."

Ryan looked at Sandy. "She's probably right."

"Okay then I'm off to the store. Any preferences? Sesame,plain?"

"Whatever comes is fine with me." Marissa answered.

"Same here." Ryan took Marissa by the hand and pulled her up. "Why don't you go and have the first shower. I just have to send a few emails off about work to let them know I'll be in late and to get a couple of people moving on a few things – like that child care idea you came up with. I'll be with you shortly."

---

Marissa showered and changed and when she went back in to the kitchen Kirsten was there putting on the coffee.

"I hope you don't mind me taking over your kitchen."

"No at all. I'm sure you know your way around it a lot better than I do."

"You'll get used to it quickly. I just want you to know how happy I am that you and Ryan are finally together."

"Thank you" Marissa frowned "but…."

"But what?"

"Did you really think I would be capable of aborting our child? I mean you mustn't think very much of me if you actually thought that I could do that."

"Well at the time it almost seemed better than the other option we had come up with."

"Am I even game to ask what that was?" Marissa said.

"You have to realise that we had no idea about what had gone on with Julie and the only other thing we could think of that would have Ryan so upset was that perhaps you had taken off on him again."

"But I didn't take off on him last time. Well not knowingly anyhow."

"We understand that now. But you must see how it looked to us." Kirsten explained.

"I guess so. I guess I now at least understand why everyone has been a little….what's the word…hesitant… around me. Even Summer. She has told me a couple of times that if I were to hurt Ryan she would never talk to me again. It didn't make any sense at the time but now I can see where she was coming from. But please understand… I love Ryan. I always have and I always will. And that's why I have no intention of ever talking to my mother again."

"That is a very very long time." Kirsten said.

"Not long enough in my book. I know that may sound harsh but you have no idea what I went through when I thought Ryan had moved on. I spent months with a shrink in London being treated for depression. He suggested that perhaps if I 'distanced myself from the problem' it may be easier and that was why I ended up moving to Paris. I was on anti-depressants for over 2 years trying to cope. I thought about him everyday and it felt like my heart broke again every time I thought about him. How could my mother watch me go through that without telling me that it was all a contrived plan of hers?"

"Oh Marissa." Kirsten couldn't stop a tear from escaping and running down her face as she thought about what Marissa had been through. It would appear she had been just as badly hurt as Ryan had been and Kirsten knew first hand what that was like.

Marissa took Kirsten in her arms. "Don't cry. I cried myself out last night. It's a wonder Ryan didn't throw me out thinking I was a complete loony."

"I'm supposed to be the one comforting you, not the other way around." Kirsten replied as she tried to pull herself together.

"Yeah. But I've had a few hours to think it all through. I am serious when I tell you that I don't want anything to do with her again. At this point I don't even care about how she managed to block my emails or even what she did with Ryan's letter. As long as I don't have to see her or talk to her then I can live with the not knowing."

"But what about ..." Kirsten started to say only to be cut off.

"I'm serious Kirsten. You're not going to change my mind. Ryan has already tried. I don't want this to cause problems between us but there is no way I am having anything to do with her. And that's final."

---

Julie got off her plane at LAX and collected her luggage. She called Marissa's cell again. It went straight to voice mail.

Julie hung up and tried Summer again.

"Hello" Summer said as she looked at her phone not recognising the number.

"Summer."

"Oh. Mrs. Coop…sorry Julie."

"Yes. Did you speak with Marissa? I still haven't been able to get hold of her and I'm at the airport."

Summer started to worry. She hadn't heard from Coop last night but she had left her a message. She started to wonder if perhaps Marissa and Ryan had stayed over in San Fran. "I haven't actually spoken to her today. No." Summer figured the less she said the better. That was usually the case when it came to Julie and she didn't think anything had changed from what Marissa had said.

"Well could you just give me the name of her hotel and I'll get a limo there and go and find her."

Summer began to panic. There was no way she wanted to be the one to tell Julie that Marissa had moved in with Ryan. From what Marissa had said about the way Julie still felt about Ryan she thought she'd definitely leave that privilege to somebody else. "Just give me a minute and I'll call you back. I'll just see if I can reach her." Summer replied.

"It really doesn't matter. Just the name of the hotel will do. I'll talk to her when I get there."

Summer thought fast. "Marissa will probably want to grab a limo and come and collect you from the airport once she knows you're there." Summer replied trying to buy herself some time. "I'll call you back in a sec." and she hung up and called Ryan's number.

---

"Would you like me to get that?" Kirsten asked as Marissa was busy carrying cream cheese, smoked salmon, juice and plates to the table.

"If you could that would be great." Marissa replied.

"Hello. Kirsten Cohen speaking."

"Kirsten? I'm sorry I must have pressed the wrong number on the speed dial." Summer said. "I was trying to reach Marissa and Ryan."

"No. You've got the right number Summer. Sandy and I.." Kirsten didn't quite know what to say. She looked up as Marissa re-entered the room. "I'll just put Marissa on."

She handed the phone to Marissa. "It's Summer. I didn't know whether you wanted me to say something or if you would want to tell her yourself."

Marissa nodded and took the phone. "Hi Summ."

"Um..I think we may have a slight problem. Did you get my message last night?"

"Yeah. Why don't you come up here. We've got something to tell you about." Marissa replied.

"Well that sounds really nice but this is a little more important. Like… your mum just called me from the airport. She wants to know the name of your hotel so she can go there and see you. I didn't know if I should tell her that you're staying with Ryan or not?"

"Yeah. Forget about her…She can wait. Just come on up. We've got a fresh pot of coffee on and Sandy's gone to get bagels." Marissa replied.

"Coop. You're sounding really strange." Summer said.

"No. I'm just tied. I didn't get much sleep. Come on up and bring Seth with you then we can tell you both at once."

"But what about your mum?"

"She can go rot in hell!" Marissa replied.

---

Summer went and woke Seth and said "We need to get up to Ryan and Marissa's right now."

"Why what's happened?" he asked turning over to go back to sleep.

"I don't know exactly but Marissa said she'd tell us when we got there. Your Mum and Dad are there and Julie just rang from the airport and Marissa told me that her Mother could and I quote 'go rot in hell' so I gather it's just a normal day in the life of Ryan and Marissa or at least a lot more normal than the quiet lovey-dovey it has been recently."

Set tried to take in all that Summer had said and he focused on one thing that stood out of it all. "What's Julie doing here?"

"I don't know. And if you don't hurry up, get out of bed and get dressed then I will go without you. And don't expect me to tell you later."

"Aw snookums. Surely you could go and find out and then come back to bed and relay the information as a little bit of pillow talk." Seth suggested not wanting to move from his cosy position.

"Seth if you don't get moving the only pillow talk you'll be experiencing is when I hold one over your face to suffocate you and you're screaming for help. Now get moving."

"You really are no fun when you're like this" Seth replied as he started to get out of bed.

"Well Sandy's gone to get fresh bagels if that helps."

"Well, why didn't you say so? Let's hurry before they eat them all. You know what Ryan's like around fresh bagels."

---

Just as Summer reached Ryan's door her phone rang and she realised it was Julie ringing again.

"Um hi." She answered.

"Summer. Have you seen her? Where is she?" Julie demanded.

"Um no I haven't seen her just yet. But I should be seeing her any minute. Why don't you just relax with a cup of coffee and I'll call you as soon as I've met up with her."

"I don't want coffee. I just want to see Marissa." Julie was starting to get angry. "Why are you keeping her from me? You have no right… If you don't.." Julie was tired and stressed and unfortunately she had decided to take it out on Summer.

Very ... Bad ... Idea.

Summer didn't take that sort of thing from anyone. And certainly not Julie Cooper Nicol. From what she could gather Marissa was obviously upset with Julie about something so Summer figured that Marissa wouldn't mind if she put Julie in her place. "Excuse me. I am not keeping her from you. If you persist with that tone of voice I'll just hang up and you can search LA on your own for Marissa. Would you prefer that?"

Julie was stunned. She wasn't used to anyone talking back to her. Well except for Marissa occasionally. But Julie had pretty much worked out how to manipulate her, except when the topic was Ryan. And of course Ryan. They rarely saw eye to eye. But Summer? She had always been so nice. Julie realised that she would need to keep her on side at least until she knew exactly what the situation was between Ryan and Marissa. She might need Summer's assistance if she was going to split them up again. "I'm so sorry Summer. Of course you're not. I'm just tired from the flight. I'll do exactly as you suggested. I'll go and get a coffee. If you could just let me know as soon as you've seen Marissa so I can get out of here. Airports are not exactly my favourite place."

"Fine." Summer felt good that she had actually stood up to Julie but she had trouble believing that Julie could change her tune so quickly. But maybe she was being too hard on her. "I'll call you as soon as I've spoken with Marissa."

---

After Marissa and Ryan had explained to Summer and Seth what had happened they just sat at the table stunned.

"I can't believe she would do that. I mean we've all known for a while that she is a piece of work. But that lying, conniving bitch. She's the one responsible for you being away all these years. Forget about Ryan, what about me? I lost my best friend and for what? And to think, I was actually civil to her on the phone before. I should have taken the opportunity to give her a piece of my mind." Summer stated verging on a rage blackout again.

"Well it's not as if we didn't know what she was like. I guess we all should have realised that she must have been involved somehow." Seth added. "I told you a number of times that she was a witch but you wouldn't believe me. But I mean even I wouldn't have thought she was capable of this."

"Seth. I think that's taking it a bit far. Next thing you'll have her in pointy hats riding a broomstick. " Kirsten said. "I'm sure she had her reasons. Although I can't for the life of me imagine what they could possibly be, for her to try to justify everything that's happened."

"Maybe I should go and get her and we can find out exactly what those reasons were." Ryan said trying to look for a solution.

"No Ryan. I don't want you to. Please just keep away from her. I know that she will just try to break us up again. I don't know how, but I'm sure that's why she's here." Marissa pleaded with him.

"You don't know that for sure and anyhow that's not going to happen." Ryan said and gave her hand a squeeze trying to reassure her that nothing would come between them again.

"It's not going to happen because I don't want her anywhere near us. Even back in England is too close for my liking." Marissa added.

Sandy could see that this was likely to build into an argument between Ryan and Marissa so he decided to interrupt.

"How about Kirsten and I go and collect her and we'll take her back to Newport with us. She'll be far enough away that you won't have to deal with her. And Kirsten can try to find out why she did all of this."

Kirsten looked at him and said "That may sound fine to you but I don't know if I even want to talk to her. I can't imagine why she would do what she did. Specially knowing how they felt about one another."

"Well you're not going to know unless you talk to her. And I think you should remember that she was, once at least, one of your closest friends and your mother-in–law. Surely you at least owe it to her to listen to her side of the story." Sandy added.

"I don't believe I owe her anything." Kirsten glared at Sandy.

Marissa stood up and walked away obviously upset that anyone was giving any consideration to Julie at all. Plus she could see that it was now causing problems between Sandy and Kirsten. Julie seemed to be able to poison relationships just by her presence in the same country she thought. They hadn't even seen her and she was causing problems for them all.

Ryan watched her leave the room and turned to Sandy. "I guess that sounds good if you don't mind. I'm not sure what else to do. I really have to get to work but I just don't know how Marissa's going to cope with even the thought of Julie being around. She's taking this really hard."

"Would it help if I hang with her for the day or at least until you can get home from work?" Summer asked. "I mean I've haven't got anything else on. We don't go back to work until Monday and we had sort of planned to go shopping today anyhow."

"Yeah. Thanks Summ that would be great. I'll just go and talk to her or at least try to talk to her. I'll see if she's still up for the shopping trip." Ryan replied.

Seth had been quietly sitting watching all this go on around him and he finally decided to have something to say. He turned to is father. "I can't believe that you are going to let that woman stay at our house. I think you should do her the same service that she did for Ryan. Put her back on the plane and send her back to England. Preferably deport her so she can't come back into the country again. We don't need her here ever again." he added.

"Yeah I have to agree." Summer added.

"But don't you see what Ryan was trying to say. She will be the grandmother of their children. He at least wants to give her a chance to explain what possible motivation she could have for doing that to them. Ryan has had to put up with a lot worse in his childhood than a few lies from his parents." Sandy said and looked at Kirsten to see if she at least was coming around to his way of thinking.

Kirsten looked at him and was again amazed at just how much he and Ryan were alike in the way they looked at things. They both always wanted to see the best in people and would help anyone in need. Even Julie Cooper. She guessed she owed it to her husband to try to do the same thing. "Well come on. If we are going to the airport we'd better go soon. I'm sure Julie can only drink so much coffee."

Just as she said this Summer's phone rang again. Summer looked up at them. "It's her." Summer obviously had changed her mind and wasn't keen to talk to Julie again.

---

"I'll take it" Sandy said and picked up Summer's phone.

"Julie." Sandy greeted her.

"Who is this? Seth?" Julie replied.

"No it's Sandy."

"Sandy? Um I was just looking for Summer. Well really I'm looking for Marissa but Summer has been behaving quite oddly. She won't tell me where Marissa is staying."

"Yeah. Well that's because she is staying with Ryan and Summer was scared it may upset you."

"What. Why would she be staying there? The studio had organised her accommodation at a hotel. It's totally inappropriate. What will people think? A single girl staying with a bachelor like him?"

Sandy smiled to himself. He thought he would enjoy this "Like him? I'll let that pass for now but be very careful with what you say. And to answer your question, I suspect they'll probably think that there is something going on between them." he smiled wishing he could see her face.

"Exactly. How could you let this happen? If you cared at all for Marissa's reputation you would not have let this happen. I'll hold you responsible if the papers get a hold of this and in any way besmirch her character."

Sandy didn't know whether to get angry with her or laugh at her. It was a close decision. "Julie. Firstly, Marissa is quite old enough to make her decisions for herself. If she wants to be with Ryan then so be it."

"Be with him. You only said she was staying with him surely their not…." Julie couldn't even say it.

Sandy smiled he was really starting to wish that he could see her face. Maybe he should have done this in person not over the phone. "Sleeping together? Having S..E..X.? I'd suggest yes. Probably like rabbits I suspect. Although, you'll have to actually ask them yourself, if you want to know for sure? It seems they have some lost time to make up for. About 7 years I'd guess. So I don't imagine they will surface for quite a while. Except for maybe water and nourishment, you know, to keep their strength up." He laughed as he heard her gasp at the other end of the phone. "Now are you hoping on the next flight home or are you intending to hang around for a while?" he asked.

"Sandy. Please. I need to talk to her." Julie stressed. She felt like she was ready to pass out as the images of Ryan and Marissa in bed together flashed through her mind.

"Well that's going to be a problem. Because strangely enough, she doesn't want to talk to you."

"I know that's just Ryan controlling her again. If I can just spend some time with her, I'm sure I can convince her to come back home with me."

"You really are a piece of work aren't you? Don't you realise the game's up. They know what you did. Ryan is the one that has been trying to convince Marissa to talk to you but she won't have anything of it. So I'd be careful of anything you say about him. I suspect he is the only chance you have of your daughter ever talking to you again. The best I can offer is that Kirsten and I will come and get you and take you back to Newport with us. Otherwise you are on your own."

Julie sat for a moment. She didn't know what to do. Was Sandy really telling the truth? Was Ryan her only hope of Marissa ever talking to her again? She may not have always agreed with Sandy over the years but she had never known him to lie so she guessed he probably was telling the truth. She needed to stay in LA and try to sort this out. Going back to England wouldn't achieve anything. So she'd better take him up on his offer.

"Well Julie, What's it to be?" Sandy asked.

"Okay. I guess I'll come to Newport with you." She stated.

"Smart girl."

"I really didn't have any choice." She replied, pouting as she said it.

"I know." He smiled. "Which terminal are you at? "

"Terminal 4."

"Okay give us about 20 minutes. We'll call you when we get there." Sandy put back the phone and looked at Kirsten.

"Okay let's go. It looks like we have got a house guest for the weekend."

"Just make sure she doesn't go into my room." Seth said. "I'd need to disinfect it after she left otherwise. I still can't believe you're doing this. Why should you be nice to her after what she has put them through?" He said motioning his head towards the bedroom where Ryan and Marissa were. "Hell all of us have been affected by what she did."

"I know son. But we have to look for the positives and right now, that is, that they are together. Let's just make sure that Julie doesn't manage to break them up again."

"She'll have me to answer to if she even tries." Summer stated.

"Me too." Kirsten added. "She wouldn't want to take on the Cohen women if she knows what's good for her."

"Um I'm not actually a Cohen woman." Summer looked at Kirsten shyly.

"Near enough is good enough for me " Kirsten replied putting her arm on Summer's shoulder. "And that goes for Marissa too."

They all smiled.

"I wonder if Julie knows just what she's letting herself in for." Sandy laughed.


	32. Ryan offers reassurance

_Thanks for the reviews. It looks like some of you are starting to get in to this._

**Ryan offers reassurance**

Meanwhile Ryan was sitting beside Marissa on their bed talking to her.

"Hey. I don't want you to worry." He said as he stroked her back trying to reassure her.

"Ryan it's my mother. You don't seem to realise just what she is capable of. She will do anything and everything to come between us."

"Yeah. But what she doesn't realise is that it won't work. Nothing she does could make me stop loving you and I'm hoping that you feel the same way. Plus we have the combined efforts of all of my family rooting for us. She wouldn't dare try something. I gather she's already experienced a mini rage blackout from Summer. I doubt she'll be keen to try out the genuine thing."

Marissa couldn't help but smile thinking about Summer taking on her mother.

Ryan looked at the small smile. "That's better. Now I'll just go and check but I think Sandy is going to go and deal with your Mum. I have to get to work. There are a heap of people waiting for me to make a few decisions about projects before they can proceed. I'll try to be home as soon as possible. But in the mean time Summer wanted to know did you want to go shopping with her. Apparently she thought you already had it planned and I don't think she wants to give your mother the satisfaction of upsetting your plans."

"Yeah. We had planned to go shopping. I thought I'd buy a few extra clothes that I could leave down at Newport so I didn't keep getting caught down there with nothing to wear." Marissa smiled and raised her eyebrows at him waiting for a reaction.

"Hmm. That's a problem." He frowned as he looked at her.

"What? Won't we still be going down there? I thought you said you went down there most weekends." Marissa asked surprised at the frown on his face.

"I did. But I definitely don't like the idea of you having clothes down there. It would take all the fun out of it." He smiled and kissed her. "I rather like the idea of you with nothing to wear. It makes my job so much easier."

"Exactly what job is that Mr Atwood?" Marissa smiled as she looked at the frown magically disappear from his face.

"You know very well Ms Cooper." His face broke into a big smile just thinking about their time at Newport so far.

Marissa smiled. "I promise that they will only be used when you approve. How's that for a deal?"

"I guess I can live with that. Why don't you take my credit card and have fun." He said as he pulled a card from his wallet and went to hand it to her.

Marissa shook her head. She didn't feel right about using his money. She had intended to talk to him about her paying her way while she was staying with him but so much had happened that she hadn't gotten around to it yet. It would have to wait until they got over all the stuff with Julie. She suspected that he wouldn't want to take her money and she didn't think they needed something else to disagree on just at the moment. Julie was quite enough. "No thanks. I may not be as rich as you but I'm quite able to afford to shout myself a little shopping spree." She looked at Ryan and realised that he seemed disappointed. "Don't worry, I'll let you shout me dinner." she said and leaned over and kissed him lightly. "Now off you go. You've got a company to run. I'll talk to you later."

"You're sure you're fine?" Ryan asked again.

"Yep. Summer and I will go and have a great time. I'll see you here later." She tried to sound positive and upbeat even though she was feeling anything but.

"Okay. And do you still want to go down to Newport for the weekend?"

"Sure." She looked up at him shyly. "As long as I find some clothes I like."

"Forget about the clothes. You won't be needing them." Ryan said as he leaned in and kissed her before making his way out the door. "I'll talk to you later."

---

Summer and Marissa had a great day. They had to go back to the car on a few occasions to dispose of their parcels because they were getting too many to carry.

It was nearly lunchtime so they decided to stop for a snack and something to drink.

Once they were seated at a table with their food Summer looked at Marissa and asked "So you and Chino finally back on track?"

"Yeah. It seems without my mother's interference we were never off track." Marissa replied still unable to forget about the fact that Julie was the reason she and Ryan had been apart for so long.

"But at least you're back together again now. It somehow feels like you were the missing piece in the puzzle. Since you've been back everything has just seemed right." Summer suggested.

"You say that now but remember it also means that my mother is back in the country. And that can't be a good thing." Marissa sighed, thinking that nothing would be the same now that Julie had arrived.

"Just forget about her and concentrate on the good things in your life. Like a certain multi-millionaire that is head over heels in love with you."

Marissa's face started with a small grin and ended with a big smile. She couldn't help it when she thought about Ryan. "Yeah maybe you're right." Then she thought about Julie again and frowned. "Although why he would want anything to do with me still baffles me. I mean I know he thinks that we should give my mother a chance to explain because 'she'll be our children's grandmother' but how can he even think about having a family with me when our children would be part Jimmy and Julie Cooper. Cheats, liars, frauds the pair of them. Perhaps the gene pool should be stopped right here."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. Would you want to have children with Ryan?"

"Of course. But he's perfect." Marissa looked at the smile on Summer's face. "Well, in my eyes he is."

"Okay so you're probably not far off the mark. But I do think your biased." Summer shrugged. "But have you even thought about his parents? And I don't mean Sandy and Kirsten. I mean his biological parents. I don't see a nomination for parent of the year amongst either of them."

Marissa thought about what Summer had said. "No. I couldn't care less about them."

"Exactly. And I doubt that Ryan cares about who your parents are either. Do you think Ryan would make a good father?"

"Yeah…." Marissa felt herself go all misty eyed just thinking about it. "He'd make a great father."

"Well. I think you'd make a great mother so it sounds to me like a match made in heaven." Summer smiled.

"Maybe you are right." Marissa looked at her friend and smiled. She thought about their baby making 'practice' on the flight. "I didn't tell you about our trip yesterday."

"The one to San Fran? Why did something interesting happen? I thought it was for work not pleasure."

"Let's just say we managed to fit in a bit of both." Marissa grinned knowing she now had Summer's undivided attention.

"Exactly what do you mean by that?" Summer asked knowing there was obviously more to the story.

"Well you've heard of the mile high club?" Marissa smiled watching Summer's eyes light up.

"You didn't?" Summer exclaimed.

"Yep. We sure did. A few times."

"But aren't the bathrooms on planes just a little too…. eww to do that?" Summer grimaced thinking of the planes she had been on.

"Well, Ryan had booked a private jet and it even had a bed and a shower." Marissa replied smiling as she remembered the day they had spent together.

Summer looked relieved that they hadn't been squished in a commercial flights bathroom. "And?"

"And what?" Marissa smiled teasing her friend.

"You can't just leave it like that. Spill. What was it like?"

"Well let's just say that I could really learn to enjoy flying if it was always like that."

"But what about Ryan? He's always been scared of flying."

"Let's just say I managed to keep his mind on other things."

"Sounds like it was more than his mind that was occupied. I wouldn't mind betting there were other parts of his anatomy involved."

Marissa laughed. "Yeah you're definitely right there."

"Well I was going to suggest that we make a little stop by Victoria's Secret to purchase a little surprise for our men. But since you two already seem to be at it like rabbits I don't think you'll be needing anything to get him in the mood. Sounds to me like he is always in the mood." Summer suggested.

"Well what do you expect we've got a lot of time to make up for." Marissa replied shyly.

"Yeah you're right. I'm just happy to see you two finally together."

"Well have you had enough to eat? There's no harm in checking out what Victoria's Secret has to offer. Just in case there might be something there that he might fancy." Marissa suggested liking Summer's idea.

"I think what he fancies is you." Summer replied and noticed Marissa start to blush. "But just let me finish my coffee and I'll be with you." Summer added.

"Okay I might just go visit the bathroom while you finish up." Marissa replied.

"Okay I'll watch your parcels. See you soon."

---

Ryan had managed to accomplish a lot since he had gotten to work but now that all of the urgent matters had been addressed he realised that his mind kept straying to Marissa. He was trying to think of a way that he could reassure her that nothing Julie could do would make a difference to them any more.

He came up with an idea and just as he reached for his phone it rang and he picked it up.

"Hey Sandy. How did everything go?" Ryan asked keen to know how things had gone with Julie.

"Well let's just say it was a different way to spend a morning." Sandy replied.

"What happened. Is she actually with you or did she just turn around and go back to England?"

"Well No and …no." Sandy replied giving Ryan a bit of his own medicine as far as confusing answers go.

"What? I don't understand."

"Well she didn't go back to England. It seems she wants to talk with Marissa." Sandy stated.

"I don't think that's going to happen. At least not unless Marissa has a very big change of heart."

"I know that."

"So where is she if she's not with you?" Ryan couldn't imagine what had happened with her.

"Would you believe I dropped her at the Mermaid Inn?" Sandy smiled as he thought about it.

"You what?" Ryan was stunned.

"Well. We were having a little disagreement in the car and it was the only thing I could think of to stop Kirsten from jumping into the back seat and strangling her with her bare hands."

"I'm guessing that it was something to do with me then?" Ryan asked.

"Well as you know, your mother doesn't take kindly to anybody who doesn't admire you and let's just say that wasn't quite the way Julie was referring to you."

Ryan felt his shoulders drop. He didn't know how he would ever get Julie to give him a fair go. "I'm sorry for putting you in the middle of all this. I should have gone out to the airport this morning and tried to talk to her."

"No. I don't think that would have worked. I left her at the Mermaid and told her I thought perhaps it was jet lag that was making her speak so irrationally. She has our number. When she is ready to talk I'll go and get her and we'll get to the bottom of all this. Although, I really can't see how she could possibly justify all that she has put you two through."

"Yeah. I know. But I think somehow we need to give her a chance at least. I'm not sure if I can convince Marissa to talk to her. But we are going to come down to Newport tonight, so I might try and see if I can see her. I'd like to give her a chance to explain at least. Marissa is convinced that Julie will try to break us up again."

"Well unfortunately I think Julie would like nothing more than to be able to do that. She seems to think that if she can talk to Marissa that she will be able to convince her to return to England with her."

"Well if that's the case then maybe I don't want Marissa to talk to her at all." Ryan started to worry that maybe Julie would be able to influence Marissa if she had the opportunity.

"I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. It's obvious that Marissa loves you. I think Julie underestimates just how much." Sandy said wanting to reassure Ryan.

"Thanks. That certainly makes me feel a little better."

"Okay. Well I just thought I'd let you know what happened. I'll call you tomorrow after I have spoken to her again. Oh and by the way… I may have accidentally mentioned that I thought you and Marissa were going at it like rabbits."

"What?" Ryan asked wondering just what they had been discussing for that to come up in the conversation.

"It just sort of came out in the heat of the moment. I just thought I should warn you. I'm really sorry if I have over exaggerated but I just couldn't help myself."

Ryan laughed. "No it's fine. If the truth be told you're not far off the mark anyhow. I'll talk to you soon."

"Okay son. Just look after that girl of yours. It's obvious her mother would do anything to come between you."

"Thanks Sandy. I will." And Ryan hung up.

He sat there thinking for a short time and then picked up the phone again and made a call. After setting everything up, he called Summer.

---

"Hey Chino. What's up?"

"Is Marissa with you?" Ryan asked.

"Well she's actually in the bathroom right at this moment but she'll be back in a minute if you want to talk to her."

"No. I need your help. But it's meant to be a surprise. So if she comes back don't let on that it's me on the phone."

"Okay. What's it all about?"

"What's the chance of you getting her to Tiffany's at 3:30?"

"Tiffany's? Whoa. I guess I can do that. Can I ask why?"

"Well… I was worried that she seems to think that her mother can somehow split us up and I thought I'd like to give her something to show her how much she means to me. Then perhaps she would be a little reassured."

"Chino that's a great idea."

"I thought about trying to pick it out myself but I think that would be a recipe for disaster knowing how fussy she is."

"I'm sure if it came from you she'd love it." Summer said.

"Yeah. Maybe but she might never wear it. I figured letting her pick it out was the better way."

"Aww. Where did you learn to be so romantic and don't even bother saying Seth? He could take lessons from you."

Ryan laughed. "It's Marissa. I've never felt like this with anyone else. You know that. And don't underestimate Seth. He's romantic when it counts."

"Yeah you're probably right. But I can see Marissa coming. So you just want me to have her there at 3:30."

"Yeah. I have booked a private viewing room and I'll make sure I'm there before you. So just tell them who you are. They'll be expecting you."

"Okay I'll see you there."


	33. The Tiffany's surprise

_Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad you are enjoying it. _

**The Tiffany's surprise**

Ryan was trying to get all his work finished so he could go and meet Marissa and then go directly home with her. He didn't want to have to come back to work. But he was waiting for some contracts to arrive from the lawyers for him to check and sign and they hadn't arrived. It was getting near 3 and he'd just checked with Annabel for about the tenth time to see if they had arrived. They still weren't there so he figured he would just have to come back to get them when he and Marissa had finished at Tiffany's. He picked up his keys and cell phone and walked out of his office shutting the door behind him.

He walked up to Annabel. "I have to go out for a while. I was hoping to be able to go home after I've finished but I guess I'll just have to come back here so that I can sign those documents. Have they guaranteed that they will actually be here today?"

"Yes. But the last time I called they said it could be close to 5 before they get here." Annabel replied thinking this could be an opportunity to see Ryan away from the office. "Would you like me to drop them past your home when I'm leaving? It will save you having to come back here and then you can read through them and sign them and I'll just drop them back at the lawyers offices on my way in to work on Monday morning. I know they wanted them back before 9am Monday."

Ryan thought for a moment. "Are you sure it's not out of your way? I don't want to be any bother. I can always just come back in."

"No. It's fine." She replied quickly. Thinking perhaps they could end up having dinner together or something…..

"But I thought you lived in the other direction?" Ryan queried.

"Um..I do." Annabel thought in a hurry. "But I thought I might go and visit my parents tonight, as I have nothing else to do." She thought it couldn't hurt to let him know she was available for the evening …just in case he had any ideas. "So I'd be almost driving past your door."

"Well if you're sure you don't mind, that would be great. I was planning on going down to Newport tonight but I don't need to leave at any particular time. So I'll just wait for you. Thanks a lot. I'll owe you."

"Good. I'll hold you to that." She rather liked the idea of him owing her a favour.

---

Marissa and Summer spent a long time at Victoria's Secret. Marissa had quickly decided upon purchasing a beautiful low cut lacy white corset and matching g string that she thought Ryan would enjoy taking off her. But she couldn't believe that it could take Summer so long to decide. Summer was usually really quick at deciding what she did and didn't like but it seemed like she tried on everything in the store. Marissa had had enough of shopping and just wanted to go home. They eventually got back to the car and it was after 3. All she could think about was going home, putting her feet up and waiting for Ryan. He had said he would try to be home early.

"I just have one more place to go before we head home." Summer said as she started the car.

"Really. Couldn't it wait? I've had it. I can't wait to get home and put my feet up. I think I need to go into training to keep up with you. I'm obviously all out of practice." Marissa replied.

"Well I just want your opinion on something and if we leave it too long it might be gone." Summer said trying to think of a good reason for having to stop again.

"Okay but what is it?" Marissa asked.

"You'll see. It's not far out of our way."

They drove for another 10 minutes and then Summer had trouble finding a parking spot. By this time it was almost 3:30. Summer was trying to get Marissa to hurry as she'd had to park a couple of blocks away.

"Come on. Can't you walk any faster?" Summer urged Marissa along.

"What's the hurry all of a sudden? You didn't seem to care when we were in Victoria's Secret."

"Yeah well you're the one who wants to get home. The sooner we finish this the sooner you'll get to see Chino." Summer said with a smile.

They got to the door of Tiffany's and Summer stopped and pushed it open.

"Whoa. Exactly what are you showing me?" Marissa asked. "Are you planning on Seth popping the question?"

"Well yes and no" Summer replied as they entered the store.

They walked in and were greeted by an assistant. "My name is James, may I be of assistance to you?"

Summer spoke up. "Yes. This is Marissa Cooper. I believe you're expecting her."

Marissa looked at Summer bewildered. "What?"

"Certainly. If you'd just follow me."

Marissa kept looking at Summer as Summer pulled her along. "Summ what is this? What's going on?"

"Just a little surprise. You'll see." Summer smiled.

They followed James down a hall way and were greeted by another man. "Good afternoon I'm Louis Gibson the manager and I'll be looking after you this afternoon." He looked at Marissa for her approval.

"Um. Yeah. Sure." She shrugged her shoulders not sure what she was letting herself in for.

"If you'd just like to wait in here, your host will be with you shortly." He gave them a big smile then opened a door and let Summer and Marissa into a lovely waiting room with lounge chairs and viewing tables for the jewellery.

As he closed the door behind him Marissa turned to Summer "I don't understand why he said he'd be looking after us and then said 'our host' would be coming. What's going on?" She stopped talking as she heard the door opening again and she turned to see Ryan walking into the room. Marissa couldn't help but smile as she walked over to him. "I should have known that you were responsible for this. You and you're little surprises. Just what is going on?"

"I'm just going to wait outside." Summer said as she made her way to the door figuring they needed their privacy.

"Thanks Summer. I hope she wasn't too much trouble. If you want to go home, I'll bring Marissa with me." Ryan said.

"Okay sounds great. I'll see you there." She turned to leave. "I'll drop your parcels up to the penthouse Coop." Summer added as she made her way out the door.

"Okay thanks." Marissa replied and then turned to Ryan. "Now what's this all about? Would you like to explain?" Marissa asked.

"Well. I was just thinking that you seemed a little scared this morning that your mother would somehow manage to come between us again."

"Yes I am. You don't know what she is like. I'm scared that you underestimate her."

"Well I think you underestimate how much I love you. So I wanted to get you a little something to remind you….. I thought maybe a promise ring." He looked at her shyly… watching for her reaction. "And before you say anything, I know it's probably a bit too soon to start making plans for our future. I know we've only been together a week and I don't want to scare you away. But I want you to know…" he took her hands and looked deeply into her eyes. "… that I will love you… forever. Nothing your mother can say or do will ever change that. I'm hoping that whenever you wear this ring you'll remember just how much I love and cherish you."

Marissa looked at Ryan and marvelled that he could be so good to her. At that very moment if she'd weighed up all the bad things that had happened to her in her life then having Ryan easily outweighed them all. She must be the luckiest girl on earth. She could feel a single tear run down her face she was so overwhelmed with love for him she thought her heart would burst.

"I'm hoping that is a happy tear?" he asked.

She nodded still unable to speak.

Ryan started to get concerned by her silence. "It doesn't have to be a ring. It can be anything you like. I just thought…" he started, suddenly unsure if she would actually want to wear a ring. Maybe that was like branding her as his and maybe she wasn't ready for that just yet.

"A ring sounds great." She reassured him noticing the different emotions as they passed across his face and wanting to reassure him that she was in this for the long haul and that she loved the idea of being linked to him, preferably forever.

"Okay." He smiled as he took her hand and made his way over to some of the beautiful rings laid out for them. "Now what would you like? Louis has left a selection here. Or we can get something made if you'd prefer it."

"Ryan you don't have to do this." Marissa said.

"Ah I know I don't have to. But I want to. That's what makes it so much fun. I figure I've got a few years of birthday and Christmas presents that I need to catch up on that should have rightfully been yours. I mean I would have been showering my girlfriend with gifts. And haven't we decided that you're my girlfriend?"

"Yes I am." She smiled.

"Then have a look at these and see what you think." He smiled as he watched her eyes light up as she started to look over the rings in front of them.

---

On the way home in the car, Marissa kept looking at the beautiful ring on her finger and it was all she could do to keep her hands to herself. She wanted to show Ryan just how much he meant to her and she didn't think she could wait until they got home. She reached over and began stroking his thigh letting her hand get higher and higher with each stroke until she was rubbing the bulge in his groin. She looked over at him and smiled. "Do you know what I'd like to do to you right now?"

"No. But I have a feeling I'd like it." He smiled and tried to push her hand away from the bulge in his pants as it was making it difficult to concentrate on the road.

"Well, I think you should try to hurry because I don't think I can wait much longer for you." She said as she grabbed his hand that was stopping her in her quest and put it between her legs. He could feel how wet she was through the thin silk and all he could think about was being able to join her. He pushed the fabric to one side and used his fingers on her.

"Ryan hurry. I need you."

He pulled into his garage and they entered the lift as quickly as possible.

---

Marissa and Ryan stumbled in the door of the penthouse a short time later pulling at one another's clothes as they went. It was a good thing that the penthouse had a private lift because if anyone else had been travelling with them they would have gotten an instructive lesson on foreplay. And now that they were home they were looking to take it to the next step. It looked like there was no way they would make it as far as the bedroom. Just getting the front door closed was almost too much trouble. Ryan picked Marissa up and sat her on the table in the entry. The g string that he had removed in the lift was fortunately thrust into his pocket and not left on the lift floor. He resumed pushing his fingers in and out of her core loving the look on her face as he touched her most sensitive spot. She pushed his shirt off having already undone all the buttons in the lift. His pants and boxers, that were barely hanging from his hips followed and were soon down around his ankles and she hooked her legs behind him and pulled him towards her. He felt her heat encompass him as he thrust into her. Over and over, backwards and forwards he moved inside her until he felt her tighten around him and he exploded within her. She clung to him never wanting to let go.

As his breathing started to return to normal he smiled.

She looked at him. "What's with the smile?" she panted trying to get her breathe. "Was that funny?"

"No I was just thinking of something that Sandy told me today."

"You were thinking of Sandy? Now?" she asked amazed.

"No I was thinking of what he said. Apparently he told your mother when she asked, that he thought we were going at it like rabbits as we had so much time to make up for. He apologized to me and I told him he probably wasn't that far off the mark."

Marissa smiled. "Would you believe Summer used the same phrase today. Are we really that bad?"

"I don't know about bad. It feels pretty good to me." Ryan replied as he moved from side to side still inside her.

"Yeah I know what you mean. But it's a good thing you live alone. I'd hate to have an audience."

"Ah but I don't live alone. Not anymore. I live with you." He said as he kissed her again.

"Yeah. You do. I think I'm going to like this arrangement."

"Me too. What say we go and freshen up in the shower?" Ryan suggested.

"Are you talking singly or together?"

"Well. I hate to waste water." He smiled.

"My thoughts exactly." She added.

Ryan smiled and picked her up and carried her into their room.


	34. Marissa and Annabel meet

_Thanks for the reviews. Sorry I didn't get to post earlier but this one is extra long to make up for it. Enjoy !_

**Marissa and Annabel meet **

Quite a while later after they had finished their shower they emerged into the bedroom.

Ryan pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a wife beater and turned to Marissa.

"Would you like a drink? I think I need to rehydrate. Someone seems to have been giving me quite a workout."

"I know what you mean." She smiled. "Who needs a personal trainer when I've got you?" she leant over and kissed him lightly.

"Exactly. Plus some of those personal trainers are a bit too hot for my liking. If ever you need a workout just let me know."

"Okay you're on. But about the drink. Yeah that would be good. What time are we leaving to go to Newport?"

"Um I'm not sure. I have to wait for Annabel to drop off some documents for me to sign before we go. But I'm not expecting her for quite a while yet. So maybe we will have something to eat here and drive down after dinner."

Marissa realised that she was going to get to meet Annabel. She wondered what she was like. She remembered Summer suggesting that Annabel was interested in Ryan as more than a boss so it would be a good opportunity to size up the opposition and on her home territory as well. Hopefully she would be able to make a friend out of her. She didn't need the added worry of what was going on with Ryan at work not when she had her mother in the country. "Okay then how about you open a bottle of wine and I'll just dry my hair. I'll be with you shortly and then we can make dinner together."

"Okay. Any preferences on the wine?"

"How about another one of those Australian Rieslings that we had the other night?"

"Okay. I'll have to tell Skip that he has another convert."

"Yeah. It was really good."

"I know. Why do you think I've bought so much of it? I think Skip should go into business promoting it. Although thinking about it, he would probably drink all the profits."

Marissa laughed "That sounds like him. I'll be with you soon." Marissa walked back into the bathroom and turned on the dryer.

As she was drying her hair she kept looking at the ring on her finger in the mirror. She had selected a beautiful platinum, sapphire and diamond band. The sapphires reminded her of the blue of Ryan's eyes and she had deliberately wanted them so that she could always remind herself of him. Not that he was ever very far from her thoughts. As she finished with the drier and then got to work with the straightener she couldn't help but be taken again by Ryan's thoughtfulness. He knew just how concerned she was about her mother and even though they didn't agree on how to handle things with Julie he had still managed to reassure her that what they had was real and lasting. She wished she could do something for him to let him know just how much he meant to her.

---

Ryan was just opening the wine when the buzzer from downstairs went. He looked at the clock and wondered who it could be and walked to the intercom.

"Hello. Who is it?"

"Yeah. Um...Ryan It's me. Annabel. I have your documents."

"Annabel. Sorry. Just come on up. I'll buzz you in." He hadn't been expecting her this early and realised that there were still clothes and shoes draped all around the entry and lounge from their hasty entry earlier. He stopped what he was doing and started to collect them all and made his way into the laundry to deposit the clothes in the dirty washing hamper. He had just re-entered the lounge when there was a knock at the door.

He opened it and greeted her. "Come on in. I'm sorry about the welcome. I wasn't expecting you this early and sometimes the paparazzi get a bit cheeky."

Annabel could barely speak. She had never seen Ryan in anything but work clothes and the occasional tux. Standing there in sweats and a wife-beater he was hotter than she had ever imagined. And she had imagined a lot. She finally managed to find her voice. "No. It's fine. The documents were dropped off earlier than expected so I thought I'd bring them straight over. I knew you were waiting for them."

"Thanks. Would you like a drink while you wait? I just want to read through these before I sign them to make sure they have incorporated all the changes I requested." Ryan informed her.

"Um yeah. That would be great."

"Wine okay? I was just opening a bottle." Ryan explained.

"Sure." She replied wondering if life could get any better.

Ryan got a glass from the cupboard and poured her a drink and then handed it to her. "Just take a seat. I'll be as fast as I can."

"Take your time." Annabel replied. She was in no hurry to go anywhere. Hell, she felt like she had died and gone to heaven. Here she was in Ryan's penthouse with a glass of wine, watching him pace the floor. And what was even better, he was so busy reading through the documents in his hand that he didn't even notice that she was staring at him and taking in every little piece of the vision and storing it away for when this was over. She knew her dreams would be doozies tonight and all of them would be about him. But maybe she could somehow think of a way to make them more than dreams. She would probably never get an opportunity like this again.

She watched him move. As he turned the pages the muscles in his arms and shoulders flexed and she could feel herself getting hot just looking at him, imaging those hands stroking her and removing her clothes, piece by piece. She cast her eyes lower and watched as he walked away from her. He had the most gorgeous butt imaginable and then he turned, and she was looking straight at his groin. She knew she should look away but she couldn't seem to take her eyes off him. As she watched him walk back towards her she wished for the first time in her life that she was related to Superman and had x-ray vision. She so wanted to see through those sweat pants. She would have staked her life on the fact that he had nothing on underneath them. She could see his manhood moving from side to side as he walked and she could feel herself getting flushed and moist as she watched him. She wondered what he would do if she tried to make a move on him. Just how could she make him realise that she was interested in him as much more than just a boss. She gulped the last of her wine down trying to figure out just what she should do to let him know how she felt. She started to unbutton her blouse hoping he might notice and ask her to continue or better yet he could take over.

---

Meanwhile Marissa had finished with her hair and was looking through her purchases from the day, that Summer had dropped off earlier, looking to find something new to wear. She came across the Victoria's Secret bag and smiled. Ryan had said that Annabel wouldn't be here for quite a while yet so Marissa decided to give him a little surprise. She didn't know what Annabel looked like but she figured that it couldn't hurt to give Ryan a little reminder of what he already had. She donned the new corset and g string and finished off with a spray of her favourite perfume in all the right places, and then she walked out of the bedroom to find him. As she walked down the hallway she saw him pacing back and forth in the lounge room reading something and she thought she could probably sneak up on him since he seemed so involved in what he was reading. She hadn't noticed that there was a person sitting in the lounge as Annabel's back was to her and the lounge had a high back on it.

As she entered the lounge room she did a pirouette and said "Look what I bought for you today. Summer thought you may need something to get you interested."

Ryan looked up and smiled as he took in the sight of Marissa in the lacy corset. It reminded him of something a wench would have worn years ago in olde England. It was cut very low and he could just see her nipples peeking out over the top. The g string she had on left nothing to the imagination and he could feel himself harden as he took it all in. The sight of Marissa blew him away.

"Ahem." Annabel interrupted when it became obvious that Ryan had totally forgotten she was there.

Marissa turned and looked at the redhead sitting in their lounge. It was touch and go as to who was more embarrassed. Ryan wasn't sure whether to introduce Marissa as she stood there in all her glory or wait until she had some more clothes on.

"Um. Excuse me. I..I…I'll be back in a minute." Marissa stammered and she almost flew back into their bedroom.

Ryan watched her go and then looked down at Annabel. She was holding her blouse together at her throat and he noticed it looked like the buttons on her shirt were undone? He didn't understand what was going on. She was obviously in shock as well.

"I'll be with you in just a moment." Ryan said and went to check on Marissa.

---

He got to the door of the bedroom and Marissa was hastily pulling on jeans and a shirt.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me we had company."

"Well I wasn't expecting you to come out dressed like that." He defended himself. "I think I'd better get changed as well." He looked down at the woody she had caused which, since he was going commando, was quite obvious in his track pants and was causing a tent like effect.

Marissa looked over and smiled. "Maybe I'm not the only one to be embarrassed then?" she asked feeling better that the embarrassment was shared.

"No." he replied as he pulled on a pair of jeans and tried to rearrange himself so that he could get the zip done up without causing himself an injury. "I think its touch and go. Annabel was pretty embarrassed too I gather, since her face basically matched her hair when I left." Ryan didn't think he'd mention the blouse. If Marissa hadn't noticed maybe he had just imagined it.

"Do you think if we just stay here she might leave? I'm not too keen on facing her again." Marissa asked. Thinking, so much for making friends with Annabel; that wasn't exactly the right way to start.

"No. No such luck. She's waiting for me to sign some documents that she's going to take with her. She's much too diligent an employee to leave without them…..unfortunately. I can assure you I'm not too keen on facing her just at the moment either."

"Well in that case, I guess we will just have to face her together. Are you all set there?" she laughed watching him having difficulty with doing up his jeans. We may as well get it over with."

"Uh huh. At least you know your little surprise worked." He added still trying to rearrange himself.

Marissa looked at him puzzled.

"You're outfit definitely got me interested." He smiled rubbing his groin and trying to will his erection to disappear. "I hope I can get another viewing later on."

"Maybe. But it was meant for private viewing only."

"Okay. Let's go and get rid of her and then we can try again." Ryan suggested smiling at the thought but realising that thinking about it was not helping him with the problem in his pants.

"Okay. But you first. Lead the way." Marissa suggested happy to stay behind.

"Oh no you're coming with me. I'm not going back out there on my own." He grabbed her hand and headed back into the lounge.

---

Annabel hadn't moved except to re-button her blouse. She hoped no one had noticed. She didn't know what she should do. She wanted to get out of there as fast as she could but she knew she had to wait for the documents that Ryan still hadn't signed. She couldn't believe what had just happened. She was just happy that she hadn't gone any further with removing her clothes or making a move on Ryan. It now became apparent why he was dressed the way he was. Obviously he had been…they had been…. She blushed again just thinking about it.

Ryan emerged back into the lounge dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and pulling Marissa behind him. She was now dressed as well.

"Annabel. I'd like you to meet Marissa. Marissa, this is Annabel."

"I'm very happy to meet you." Marissa stated offering her hand to Annabel.

"Same here." Annabel said momentarily stunned by Marissa's beauty. All Annabel could think was that her photos didn't do her justice. No wonder Ryan had never shown any interest in her if he had Marissa in his life.

Ryan looked at the two of them and then bent and picked up the contract from the coffee table where he had dropped it. He saw his chance to escape from an awkward situation. "I will just finish this off in the study. Back soon." And he took off leaving the 2 ladies looking at one another.

After an uneasy silence Marissa finally found her voice. "I'd just like to apologise about before. I didn't realise that we had company."

Annabel smiled. She had thought Marissa might have been all snooty and stuck up but she seemed to be anything but. "It's fine. I guessed that you didn't know that I was here." Annabel was a little concerned about Marissa's use of 'we'. Surely they'd only been together a week at most according to the newspaper. So just how together could they be? Although it sounded like they were definitely a couple. "For what it's worth, you looked amazing."

Marissa felt herself blush from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. She knew she had probably been photographed wearing less clothes but it had never been embarrassing like this was. She just wanted to change the subject. "Can I get you something to eat or drink while you're waiting for Ryan?"

"Um. I've already had a glass of wine." Annabel answered indicating the empty glass in front of her. "But I'd better not have another. I'm driving."

"Well maybe I can interest you in a coffee?" Marissa suggested.

"Sure. That would be great." Annabel smiled, she really wanted to dislike Marissa but she was making it difficult. Marissa was actually being really nice which in the circumstances surprised her.

"Would you care to wait here or you can join me in the kitchen if you like." Marissa asked not wanting to just desert Annabel in the lounge room.

"Um. I'll come and help you. If that's okay?" Annabel didn't really want to be left sitting in the lounge room by herself plus she wondered again just how together Ryan and Marissa were. Maybe she could find out.

"Sure. Just this way." Marissa led off into the kitchen and went about putting on a fresh pot of coffee. Once it was brewing Marissa looked up trying to think of something to say. "So have you worked for Ryan long?"

"A couple of years now. Ever since I finished at college actually." Annabel noticed that Marissa moved around the kitchen with ease. She obviously knew her way around. This was definitely not her first visit.

"What did you study?" Marissa asked envious of anyone that got to spend their days with Ryan.

"I did Business Administration. I'd like to end up working as a Personal Assistant to the head of some large organisation."

"What Atwood Industries not large enough for you?" Marissa asked smiling so Annabel knew she was just teasing her.

"No it's not that. But Ryan seems to use me more as a secretary. He likes to keep control. I could take responsibility for a lot more if he wanted. But he seems to like to keep a tight hand on most things and he is so great to work for I can't imagine changing jobs." Annabel's face lit up as she talked about Ryan.

"Maybe you just need to let him know what you want to do. Men can sometimes miss the most obvious things." Marissa thought to herself in more ways than one. Summer had been right. There was no doubt that Annabel had a crush on Ryan. You could see it in her eyes when she talked about him. She lit up whenever his name was mentioned.

"You may be right. I'll think about it. Thanks." Annabel wondered if she should let Ryan know what she wanted. She knew she wanted him but was he already taken? She looked back at Marissa noticing her beautiful skin.

"I hope you don't mind me staring but you really are beautiful. It's easy to see why you're such a famous model."

"Well thank you but it's not like I had any control over it. I'm really just a glorified clothes hangar you know. People look at the clothes not me. There is nothing very special about what I do."

"I'm sure that's not entirely true. I noticed in the press that you're doing some acting. Are you enjoying that?" Annabel asked trying to make conversation.

"Well. I'm a complete novice. So you know what it's like when you're panicking because you're sure that everything you do is going to be a stuff up. But I'm still there. And the rest of the cast and crew have been really helpful, so I'll wait and see when the film's finished and let you know then."

"It must be amazing working with all those stars…" Annabel added and then stopped remembering what she had read in the paper about Jake Hammond. "or maybe not. I'm sorry if you'd rather not talk about it I understand."

"No. That's fine." Marissa wanted to change the subject. The last thing she wanted to talk about was Jake. Well maybe second last... Julie, was last. "It's very nice of you to go out of your way like this for Ryan. I hope he's not keeping you from some hot date tonight?" Marissa asked wondering if maybe she was worrying unnecessarily about Annabel's interest in Ryan.

"No. I had nothing planned."

"What. No boyfriend?" Marissa asked.

"No. It appears all the good ones are taken." She answered and looked towards the study where Ryan had disappeared to.

"I'm sure LA must still have some eligible bachelors around." But not Ryan Marissa thought to herself. This girl was much too attractive to be without a partner. "I'll have to keep my eye out for you."

"Thanks. But I'm sure that anyone you know would not be interested in me." Annabel replied again thinking about Ryan.

"Nonsense. I can think of someone already. I just need to get Ryan to somehow set up an introduction." Marissa suggested thinking about Skip.

"I couldn't ask him to do that." Annabel blushed at the mere thought of Ryan finding her a date.

"You don't have to. I will. Actually I've got a better idea. Why don't you come over for dinner next Wednesday night and I'll see if I can get him to join us. Even if he can't we can still have dinner. Summer and Seth will be here too. But I'm guessing you already know them." She thought it would be much better to keep this girl onside and preferably within view. With Julie in town she didn't need the extra worry of what Annabel was up to at work.

"Yes. I do."

"Okay. So we'll make it a date." Marissa said as she placed two mugs on the counter.

Annabel just smiled and then looked down and noticed the ring on Marissa's finger. She wondered just what it meant. "I love your ring. It's quite beautiful."

Marissa realised that this was the perfect opportunity to make sure that Annabel knew that Marissa and Ryan were for keeps – he was off the market. "I just got it today. Ryan gave it to me." Marissa played with the ring catching the light in the stones and watching it sparkle.

"Oh." Annabel didn't know whether to be happy or sad. It would appear that any chance she ever had with Ryan had just vanished but at the same time Marissa was so nice she couldn't really dislike her. So maybe she'd just have to settle with having a new friend and who knows, maybe Marissa's blind date might turn out to be fun.

---

After Annabel had left Ryan and Marissa packed a few things and made there way down to Newport. Marissa bought all her purchases from the day with her, promising to model them for Ryan one by one so he could decide what he liked and what he didn't.

He in turn promised to remove them one by one, quite sure that he would prefer her without any of them. Although he had to admit the thought of her in the corset and g string certainly stirred his imagination….. and others parts of his anatomy as well. Maybe he would let her wear that. At least for a little while.

It promised to be quite a night.

---

They stopped at the diner on the way and had a burger and said hi to Carole and thanked her for her help the previous weekend. She was delighted that they had returned as promised and even gave them free shakes to go with the burgers. Ryan tried to insist that he would pay but Carole would have none of it so he just left a larger tip for her. He realised that she would just try to give them something free next time they returned and then he would leave her a large tip again but at this point he didn't know how to get out of the cycle.

They decided to take a walk along the pier and buy an ice cream. Ryan looked back along the road and saw the lights flashing on the Mermaid Inn. He knew he had to try to talk to Marissa about Julie again.

"So have you thought anymore about talking to your mum?" Ryan asked.

"No. And I have no intention of doing so. Hopefully she got back on the plane and returned to England." Marissa stated.

Ryan thought for a moment wondering if he wanted to go down this path. "She didn't. She's still here."

"What? How do you know?" Marissa asked.

"I spoke to Sandy earlier." Ryan admitted.

Marissa looked out at the water and slowly shook her head. "I can't believe they let her stay with them. Not after everything she's done to us."

"Well if it makes you feel any better she isn't." Ryan added.

"What. But I thought you just said…" Marissa was puzzled.

"Yeah. I did." He smiled thinking about it. "But apparently Kirsten took offence at something Julie said and she and your mum got into a big fight so Sandy dropped her off at the Mermaid."

Marissa laughed. "My mum…at the Mermaid? That sort of seems appropriate….Not exactly what she's used to. But you know it's not her first time? She did use it for her trysts with Luke."

"Yeah. I know. Seth and I saw them together remember. I think I'm permanently scarred for life." Ryan admitted.

Marissa went quiet remembering back. She looked over at him. "Yeah and you didn't tell me." Marissa reminded him.

"Okay I know, maybe that wasn't the best idea. But at the time, I just didn't want you to get hurt." Ryan said in his defence, looking for her to understand why he had kept it from her.

"Well at least we know now to be honest with one another. As long as we do that then nothing can hurt us….. But come on I'm a little too close to her here to be comfortable. How about we head home and I'll show you my all my purchases from today?" Marissa asked.

"I'm really only interested in one." Ryan smiled thinking about getting another look at her in her corset.

"Don't worry. I'm keeping that for dessert."

"But I thought the ice cream was dessert?" he asked teasing her.

"Well then. I guess we can keep it for some other time." Marissa said trying to look as if it didn't matter to her.

"No way. You can't tease me like that. I'm definitely up for seconds when it comes to dessert."

"Forget about dessert I think you're just up for seconds when it comes to coming?" Marissa teased.

"Look who's talking. Miss I Can't Get Enough. Thought you needed some help to get me 'interested' did you." He reached for her and started to tickle her. "I don't think you've had any problems getting me interested. In fact trying to get me uninterested could be a challenge."

"Yeah. Well I'm not ready to try that just yet." She smiled and pulled him towards the car. "Come on. You wouldn't want to keep your 'wench' waiting."

Ryan didn't need to be asked twice. He couldn't wait to get home.

----

Next chapter - Ryan confronts the enemy.


	35. Ryan fronts the enemy

_I hope you enjoy the next couple of posts. I think that things are just getting interesting. Hopefully you'll find there are a few surprises. And I'd be interested to hear what you think of Julie by the end._

**Ryan fronts the enemy**

Next morning Ryan woke early. Even after their workout he'd had trouble sleeping. Thoughts of Julie were never far away. Marissa was curled around him and he loved the feel of her against him. He knew he could never get enough of it. He lay there thinking about what to do with Julie and decided he couldn't put it off any longer. He started to extricate himself from Marissa and she stirred.

"What are you doing?" she asked sleepily.

"Go back to sleep. I'm just going to go and pick up breakfast and your favourite coffee from Starbucks. I won't be long." He bent over and kissed her as she turned over and went back to sleep.

---

Ryan quickly pulled on some clothes and drove to the Mermaid Inn. He knew if he thought about it too much he might chicken out. He walked inside the office and found out which room Julie was in and then started to walk towards it. He had no idea what he was going to say to her. A million different things had been going through his mind but he just knew he couldn't put it off any longer. Whatever was going to happen would happen. He would just have to deal with it. Whatever 'It' was. He felt bad about getting his family involved. It was time for him to sort this out himself.

He stood in front of the door and knocked. He waited a few minutes and there was no answer. He started to think that maybe she wasn't there. She may have gone to get breakfast herself. He knocked again.

"Just a moment." He heard from inside the room.

Ryan looked at the doorknob as it started to turn and thought about taking off. Maybe he wasn't ready for this at all. He was about to go when the door suddenly opened and Julie stood before him in a towelling robe with wet hair.

"Ryan !" Julie stood there dumbfounded.

It took Ryan a minute to find his voice. He hadn't seen Julie for over 7 years but she hadn't changed at all. She was still a very attractive woman – at least on the outside. Now that he was here in front of her, part of him wanted nothing more than to just walk away. He knew that she was responsible for all the pain and heartache that both he and Marissa had been through over the last few years. Where would they have been without her interference?

"Julie." He waited for her to compose herself. She was obviously shocked to find him there. It felt good to know that he had unsettled her with his surprise visit. "I thought we should talk."

"Um. I really…" Julie looked around outside wondering if she needed witnesses. Ryan had been a hothead when she had first known him. What if he decided to take his revenge out on her physically? There was no one in sight. Was that why he had decided to drop by unannounced?

"If you'd prefer I can just walk away. But that will be it. I won't try again. I'm not even sure why I'm even giving you this chance. If Marissa had it her way, we would never speak to you again."

"But she has to…" Julie started.

"She doesn't have to do… anything. You forfeited your right to have anything to do with her when you lied to us to break us up." Ryan waited for his words to sink in. "So do you want a chance to try to explain or shall I just leave?" Ryan added noticing her reluctance to invite him in. "I don't have to come in. We could…go for a walk?"

Julie didn't know what to do. She had thought she would have a chance to talk to Kirsten and maybe even Sandy first and make her excuses and perhaps get them on her side. And then if possible Marissa. But she hadn't planned on talking to Ryan at all if possible. She really wasn't ready for this. He had totally unsettled her. "Um. I just…"

Ryan was starting to get impatient. She looked like she didn't want to talk to him.. But if nothing else he deserved an apology and he wasn't leaving without it.

"Make up your mind Julie. You can either ask me in or we can do this in the middle of the car park. I really don't care either way."

Julie looked at the car park and noticed the Mercedes convertible. It must have been Ryan's. It stood out among the other vehicles parked there. It was probably worth about the same as all of the other cars put together. She really didn't know what to do. Ryan seemed to have matured so much. She now realised that he wasn't about to beat her up he really did just want to talk. "Okay. Come on in."

She closed the door behind him and then turned to him. "If you'll just give me a minute to put some clothes on?"

"Sure." Ryan replied as Julie grabbed some things off the bed and disappeared into the bathroom. He looked around the room and then picked up the remote control and turned on the TV.

A replay of Entertainment Tonight from the previous night was showing and they had some shots of a couple of actors being hounded by the paparazzi. Ryan smiled to himself. He could only imagine what the paparazzi would make of it if they found out that he was in a room at a sleazy place like the Mermaid with none other than his girlfriend's mother. It would keep them going for quite a while. Hell he thought ... they didn't even know for sure that he had a girlfriend. He started to have some misgivings about not telling Marissa that he was coming here. After all they had been through; the last thing they needed was for either one to lose the trust in the other that they had built up. He had just not wanted to worry her. Plus he knew if he had told her where he was going then they would have had another disagreement about whether to talk to Julie or not. He didn't want that. He understood that Marissa didn't want to talk to her mother but Ryan still wanted to hear what Julie had to say for herself.

---

Julie changed and then looked around the small bathroom wishing there was a back door that she could sneak out of. She wondered if she stayed there long enough would he get tired of waiting and leave. Unfortunately she didn't think so. The sight of him had really shaken her up. He had always had a rough attractiveness to him even though she had tried to deny it. But he had definitely improved with age. She could see why Marissa would be interested in him. Hell any woman would. He wasn't a 'pretty boy' but he just oozed sex appeal. All of a sudden Sandy's words came into her head. Were they really 'going at it like rabbits'? Who could blame Marissa if she got the chance? Julie wouldn't mind betting that Ryan would know his way around a woman's body. Nobody grew up in places like Chino without picking up those sort of things. He would have started young. She wouldn't mind finding out for herself just how good he was. She wondered if maybe this could be the way to break Ryan and Marissa up once and for all. She knew she was still an attractive woman. Luke had certainly never complained. Maybe if she could get Ryan in to bed; then not only would it undoubtedly be enjoyable, but she knew that Marissa would never have anything more to do with him. It may be her only hope.

She took her clothes back off and put her robe back on making sure that the tie around her waist was barely together and she turned back and opened the door.

Ryan was sitting on the end of the bed watching the TV. He looked up.

"Sorry I just forgot something." She said and moved over to the end of the bed where he was sitting. She reached over in front of Ryan and made sure the robe parted at just the right time so Ryan got a face full of her bare breasts as the robe fell apart revealing her in all her splendour. She waited for him to react. He didn't move. She didn't know what to do. She had imagined that he would take the next step. She bent to bring her lips to his and he turned his head and got up off the bed.

You could almost see the steam coming out of his ears he was so angry. "You disgust me! If you weren't Marissa's mother this might almost be funny. But…" he shook his head. "You are unbelievable. I thought we could do this like civilized human beings but I can see that that's just not possible for you. Maybe Marissa was right. Maybe we don't need to have anything more to do with you. I had thought that maybe you would have had some sort of excuse for your behaviour before but after this I'm not sure I even care. I know you hate me. But did you honestly think that I would have any interest in you? I was hoping your love for Marissa would have made you want to fight to keep her in your life. But after this I doubt it. Have a nice life Julie. Just remember it was your choice to do it without your daughter." He turned and made his way to the door.

"Ryan. Stop. Please. Give me a chance to explain." Julie cried as she clutched the robe around her with one hand whilst trying to stop Ryan walking out the door with the other.

He hesitated and looked back at her. "I just did that Julie and look at what you tried to pull. I came here for an explanation and an apology and you do this. Give me one reason why I should give you another chance?"

Julie hung her head. "Because… I do love Marissa….You may be the only person that could understand how special she is. I'm guessing that you'd do anything to keep her in your life…well that's what I did." She looked up at Ryan and continued. "Please…. I'm sorry…. Just give me a minute to get changed. I promise I won't try anything again."

Ryan stood on the balcony outside the door and wondered whether he could trust her. He couldn't believe what she had just tried on him inside.

"We'll go for that walk you suggested." Julie said, knowing she had no chance of getting him back inside her room.

Ryan wasn't sure what to do. He was so angry with her. But he did know that he would do anything for Marissa. He didn't know if that meant that he would ever be able to get along with Julie – they were just too different. But something in him suspected that in years to come Marissa would regret having cut off all ties with her mother. Unfortunately, as Ryan well knew, you couldn't pick your family. And Julie was all Marissa had. Ryan knew that if they were ever going to speak again then he would have to come to terms with what Julie had done. "Okay. You've got five minutes and then I'm hoping in my car and driving off. So it's up to you." He stated.

---

Julie hastily threw on some pants and a shirt and slipped her feet into some sandals and made her way back out to the car park. Ryan was sitting on the bonnet of his car when she walked up to him.

"So where do you want to go?" Julie asked.

"How about the pier?" Ryan replied still not sure whether this was a good idea or not. He was trying to calm down and not lose his temper with her. "I guess we could always get a coffee."

Julie smiled. "Coffee sounds good. Although I think I could use something a bit stronger to calm my nerves."

Ryan looked at her surprised that she could actually smile at a time like this. She never ceased to amaze him. It's just it was often for all the wrong reasons.

---

Ryan bought two coffees from a street vendor and they walked towards the end of the pier an uneasy silence between them.

Julie looked over at him." I'd like you to promise me that you'll never tell Marissa about what happened back there."

Ryan considered what she had said. "I don't think I have to promise you anything." He had no intention of ever telling Marissa but that was out of consideration for Marissa not Julie.

"If you don't and you try to tell her, I could just as easily say that you came on to me. There were no witnesses." Julie stated.

Ryan looked at her and shook his head. "You really have no idea do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"At this very moment your credibility is zero. Actually below, if that's possible. The chance of anyone believing anything you say is virtually impossible. Thinking about it, I don't know why I have even bothered to come and talk to you. I should have realised that something like this would happen. I guess I am still that naïve boy that you lied to back in New York. I should have known that you don't know how to tell the truth. You couldn't even lie straight in bed. I had so hoped that you would have some sort of excuse for what went on before. But I guess that was the naïve part of me as well. Plus…why would I be interested in you when I have Marissa at home waiting in my bed?"

Julie realised that everything he'd said was true. Maybe she had underestimated him. She started to feel guilty. Looking at it from his point of view she could see how it must seem. She turned her eyes away not wanting him to see that what he had said had really got to her.

"What do you have against us?" Ryan asked. "Or is it just me? Was getting Marissa away from me your only motivation? Was I that bad for her? I know you never approved of us as a couple but surely you realise that I love her. No one could ever love her more than I do. I had imagined that maybe your dislike for me came from the fact that I came from Chino; that you somehow imagined that I would end up back there with Marissa; with 4 kids before we were 30. But you of all people should know how good life away from there can be. I was never going to mess up the chance that the Cohen's had given me. I know what's it's like on the other side of the tracks and I'm not going back there. At least, not to live. That inferiority complex that you worked so hard to give me, made me work that much harder. But surely now, you must realise, that I can look after Marissa. She need never work another day in her life. I will love and cherish her forever. Does that make any difference to you or do you hate me so much that even the money doesn't matter? I thought that was all that did matter to you?"

Julie waited until he had finished; going over everything that he had said. "I…I…just...it was.." she didn't know where to start.

"Julie talk to me. We have to have this out once and for all. Marissa has decided that she never wants to talk to you again. But I felt that I needed to work out why you would feel so strongly about me. What have I ever done to you to deserve the treatment you have given me and in turn Marissa? Because anything you do to me affects her as well."

Julie looked at him. She was stunned by the young man standing in front of her with eyes like the ocean. He obviously loved her daughter with an intensity that Julie could only imagine. "Ryan, it's not….it wasn't …just… you."

"Then tell me. Why would you do such a thing to us?"


	36. Julie tries to explain

**Julie tries to explain**

Julie took a deep breathe and moved to sit on a bench at the end of the pier. She looked out to sea and as Ryan sat down beside her she started to speak. "I guess at first I did want someone 'better' for Marissa. I thought she deserved someone from around here. I… was …worried that you would end up back where you came from. Especially after the Theresa saga. I'd seen that sort of thing happen too many times before." Ryan winced as the memory came back to him of the terrible mistake he had made. "But you have to realize, in your senior year, when Jimmy left me at the altar, I had nothing. Caleb was broke. We were being kicked out of the house. I had to do something. I had never had a real job in my life. And I was used to being looked after. So, Marissa getting the modelling work was a godsend."

"I realise that. And even though it was hard, I knew why Marissa had to move away. But that is no excuse for what happened in New York." Ryan replied.

Julie looked down at her hands clutched together in her lap. She didn't want to make eye contact with him. "Well by then, I had actually realised that what she felt for you was no passing thing. I had thought that once I got her away from Newport that she would forget about you. While you were around I would never get her to even look at someone else; someone 'better' I thought. And maybe by 'better' I mean someone that could keep us in the manner I was used to and I guess, someone I could manipulate." She looked at him and then dropped her head again. "That was never going to happen with you….. I had come to realise that as soon as she could, she would leave me and go running back to you. You only had to ask. And then I would have had no one…. I had never felt so alone as when Jimmy left me after Caleb died. I don't need to tell you that Marissa and I had always had a fairly rocky relationship but once we were together away from here….. well, over that couple of years we were in New York, we had actually learnt to get along. She had become my best friend. Probably my only friend. And yes she was also my meal ticket…. I'm not proud to admit that was also a big factor in my behaviour. We led a glamorous life in New York and it was all because of her. Without her I had nothing. You were getting close to finishing college and I knew that she would happily give up everything to be with you. If you had gotten a job in Timbuktu she would have followed, just to be near you. And where would that have left me? No money, no job, no friends and no family…. When you called to say you were coming to see her, I decided it was my chance to split you up for good." Julie turned to Ryan.

He was looking out to sea taking it all in. He didn't say anything for a while trying to process all that she had said.

"Ryan say something." Julie pushed.

"Why didn't you tell her a few years later, once you realised that I would be able to look after you both? After I'd proven myself 'worthy', if you like? Hell I've amassed enough money; even you couldn't spend it all."

Julie hung her head. "By then Marissa had gone through so much that I didn't know if she would ever forgive me, if she knew what I'd done."

"You mean with the shrinks and the anti-depressants?" he asked.

"She told you about that?" Julie was surprised. Marissa had always been embarrassed that she had needed professional help to cope. Julie didn't think she would have told anyone about that.

"We don't have secrets." Ryan assured her.

Julie just nodded. She looked back at him. She felt she was just starting to realise the strength of the relationship this boy…man shared with her daughter.

"I don't know what to say. I can't believe that anyone could be so selfish, especially when the consequences of what you did affected someone; you purport to love, so badly. Our definitions of love are obviously very different. I would do anything for Marissa. It seems to me the only person you were thinking about was yourself. I don't know if we will ever be able to forgive you for what you have put us through. If you really loved Marissa, then surely you would have wanted to see her happy not doped up on anti-depressants. It was selfish and I'm not sure you realise just how much you hurt us. But what I don't think you understand is the depth of what we felt, sorry… feel for one another. Nothing you have done or could ever do will change the way that we feel about each other." Ryan stressed.

Julie looked at him and for the first time realised that she was jealous. Jealous, of her own daughter. Not only did she have the looks and career that Julie had always wanted but she had the love of a man like Ryan who would stand by her through thick and thin, the good times and the bad. Even Julie couldn't kid herself that any of her husbands had felt anything like the kind of love for her that Ryan obviously had for Marissa. She was ashamed to realise that maybe all along she had just not wanted Marissa to have what Julie knew she could never have. She hung her head. "I'm sorry. I know there is nothing I can do that can give you back the last few years…" She looked up at him. "Do you think she will ever forgive me?"

"I don't know….." Ryan shrugged his shoulders. "Part of me wouldn't care if we never spoke to you again. But if living with the Cohen's has taught me anything it's the value of family and you are all Marissa has. So who knows? Maybe… with time? But I do know that you are going to have to try to fix this yourself. I won't be doing it for you."

"But Ryan..." Julie didn't want to have to go through it all again.

"No buts. I have given you a chance to explain and that was all I wanted to do. I still don't understand how you could do that to someone you love. I just need to think about where we go from here. And don't interpret that as meaning anything. Maybe the best thing is for you to just get back on a plane and return to England. I just don't know at this point. I'm prepared to try to get her to talk to you but that's it. But I'm not promising anything. If she chooses not to, then I'll respect her decision. It will be up to Marissa." He stood up and turned to her. "I am glad we had this talk. But let me assure you, if I ever find that you have lied to me again, I promise, you will never see either Marissa or I again. And that goes for any children that we may have in the future."

Julie looked up surprised.

"Don't worry, I'm not talking in the next nine months but yes, we have talked about it. And hopefully we will be better parents to our children than either Marissa or my parents have been to us. Now I have someone waiting for me at home. Do you want to stay here or are you walking back with me?"

"I think I'll just sit awhile." Julie replied.

"Okay. Thanks for being…." Ryan stared at her his blue eyes piercing into her "dare I say honest?"

Julie just nodded.

Ryan turned and walked back to his car and drove away leaving Julie to consider her next move..


	37. To tell or not to tell?

**To tell or not to tell?**

Ryan stopped at Starbucks on the way home and picked up the breakfast he had promised Marissa. He couldn't stop thinking about all that Julie had said. He didn't know how to feel. It was all a little too much to take in. He couldn't believe how much his life had changed in the last 10 days. But one thing he did know was there was no going back.

---

When he got home the house was still quiet. He figured Marissa must be still in bed. He placed the breakfast in the kitchen and walked upstairs to wake her up. She rolled over as he walked in the room.

"Hey sleepy head." He sat beside her and lent in for a kiss.

"Hey yourself. Where's this breakfast you promised me?" she asked as she sat up pulling the sheet with her to cover her nakedness.

"Downstairs." He started to stroke his fingers up and down her arm that was on top of the sheet. "Are you coming down for it or would you like me to bring it up?"

"How about you bring it up here? I rather like the idea of breakfast in bed. I remember eating in bed with you last weekend." Her face broke into a big smile. "Those strawberries and cream we had were really delicious."

Ryan laughed remembering their activities with the strawberries and whipped cream. "Okay just give me a minute. Do you want whipped cream with your muffin?" he asked raising his eyebrows.

"Only if you promise to lick it off." She suggested.

"What the muffin?" Ryan asked innocently.

"No… me." Marissa smiled, loving the little game they were playing.

"You really are decadent…" He turned towards the door and called over his shoulder "and I love it."

Ryan raced down and grabbed the food, coffees and a tray and of course the container of whipped cream from the fridge and went back to the bedroom.

"Here we go. Just as madam ordered." Ryan said giving her his cute half smile as he placed the tray on the bed.

"Oh very fancy. Does madam get everything she orders?"

"Well within reason. What else did you need?" he smiled thinking he knew where this was leading.

"You to lose the clothes would be good start."

Ryan smiled and hurriedly went to pull off his shoes, jeans and t-shirt.

"Nooo. Do it slowly. I'd like to watch."

Ryan looked at her. "You're joking right?"

"No. Remember I did a strip for you last night after my modelling. I think the least you could do for me is to return the favour. I'll even hum the tune if it will make it easier."

Ryan laughed. "You really are asking for it"

"Yep. And I'm hoping to get it." Marissa smiled looking forward to Ryan doing a little striptease for her. She let the sheet drop a little, just to give him a small preview of what she was offering if he was a good boy and did as she asked.

Ryan groaned wanting to speed things along. He needed to feel her beneath him. "But Ris. It's alright for you. You're gorgeous. People would pay money to watch you take your clothes off. I mean. I'm just me. The bits all work but I don't really think you want to just sit there and watch. I'm scared you might change your mind about being with me." Ryan didn't know why he suddenly felt so uncomfortable about the whole thing. It was not as if Marissa hadn't seen him naked many times before. Hell she'd explored his body like no other person ever had….. or would, as far as he was concerned.

"Ryan. Let me assure you. If the building industry ever collapses, you could make a very nice living out of modelling. Women would gladly pay to look at your body. Although we could end up broke because I'd buy all the tickets. I don't want anyone else getting any ideas about you."

At her words, Ryan felt sick. He wondered if his reluctance to strip in front of Marissa was somehow linked to the little episode with Julie earlier. There's no doubt that Julie definitely had ideas about him when she had shoved her naked breasts in his face. Although he was sure it was more to do with trying to get some dirt on him than any attraction she felt. He didn't know how to bring up with Marissa where he had been. He was afraid that she would be angry. Hell, he knew she would be angry and so he had thought he would just put it off for a while. At least until after 'breakfast'. But he felt so guilty about keeping it from her he couldn't think straight. They had come so far and they had promised to have no secrets.

Marissa started to get worried by his silence. She couldn't help but think back to what had happened last night with Annabel. There was no doubt in her mind that Annabel definitely had ideas about him. But Marissa was hoping that she had put those all to rest. Had something more happened than she had realised. There was no doubt that Annabel had been almost as embarrassed as Marissa. Was there more to it? "Ry? What is it? If something's worrying you, you should just tell me. I know Annabel has a crush on you. So if you are thinking about her having ideas about you then don't worry. I think I made it pretty clear to her last night that you are off the market. And she seemed okay with it."

"What?" Ryan replied. As if he didn't have enough to worry about with Julie now Marissa thought that Annabel was interested in him. "I'm sure you're wrong."

"Typical male. You can be so totally clueless. But you're cute when you're clueless. I can assure you that Annabel definitely had ideas about you. And they certainly weren't of the employer/employee type."

Ryan thought back to the previous night. He remembered looking at Annabel sitting on the lounge after Marissa had fled back into the bedroom to put on some clothes. She was clutching her shirt around her neck and now that he thought about it, the buttons on her shirt were definitely undone. He had been too busy with everything else that was going on and his own predicament (the swelling in his pants) to really think about it but maybe Marissa had saved him from an even more embarrassing situation. If she hadn't walked in when she did, then what had Annabel been planning on doing with her shirt undone. He couldn't deal with thoughts about Annabel right now. "Well I'm sure she realises that I'm not interested."

"She better if she knows what's good for her…. Now about the clothes?"

Marissa could see that he was uncomfortable and she didn't think it was just about the clothes.

---

Ryan knew that he couldn't keep it from Marissa any longer. He had to come clean and tell Marissa about his visit with Julie. "Um. I don't want you to over-react but I saw someone when I went to get breakfast."

"Who?" Marissa thought she could already guess, just from the look on his face.

"Don't get angry. I just needed to see her. To see what she had to say."

"Why? Why couldn't you just leave it alone? Hasn't she done enough to us already?" Marissa pleaded.

"I just needed to. That's all." Ryan returned hoping that she would understand.

"And?" Marissa demanded.

"And what?"

"Was it worth it?" Marissa couldn't help but be angry with him.

"Well. In some ways I think it was. At least for me." Ryan looked her in the eyes silently pleading with her.

"What? Are you trying to tell me she had some plausible excuse why she would do that to us?"

"No." he looked at Marissa. There was no easy way out of this. "It's complicated."

"What's complicated about it. She lied. She broke us up. We've been apart for over 5 years all because of her lies. She didn't even care that I was being treated for depression because of it. It doesn't seem very complicated to me." Marissa could feel herself getting more and more upset.

Ryan could see that he was going to have to try to explain to Marissa why he had felt it necessary to talk to Julie. "Well I guess I was just worried that it was somehow my fault." Ryan tried to respond. "You know she has never approved of me. And I was worried that the whole thing had come about because of her need to get rid of me out of your life. I guess I wanted to try to plead my case that I was somehow…I don't know….maybe…worthy of you." He looked up and she could see the insecurities in his eyes.

At his words Marissa felt all the steam go out of her anger. Was Ryan really so insecure? "Worthy of me? How could you ever even think that?…. You are so much better a person than I will ever be and as for my mother…. I don't know how you could even consider giving her a chance to explain after what she has done to us."

Marissa sat and looked at him. He was now sitting on the side of the bed just looking out the window at the ocean below. She picked up one of the coffees and had a sip.

An uneasy silence ensued.

Marissa wanted to be angry with him but then she realised that Julie would just love that thought, the thought that Julie was still causing problems for them. Marissa would not let that happen. She would have to get past it and appreciate that it was just something Ryan needed to do. Just as… not… talking to Julie was something Marissa needed to do.

"So. What did she have to say?" she looked at him and he sighed, relieved. He could see that she was at least giving him a chance.

"Well let's just say that it wasn't just me. I was a part of it. But there were other things as well. I really think that you should reconsider talking to her. She owes you an apology if nothing else."

"Did you get one?" Marissa asked.

"As a matter of a fact I did." Ryan looked at her trying to gauge just how she was feeling and what would be the chances of her talking to her mother.

Marissa looked at him stunned.

"I know. I was surprised too. But I think our talk was good. I don't think she had probably even admitted to herself what her motivations were until I pushed her. I actually think she genuinely regrets what she did?"

"So what? You think we should just forgive her? And play happy families." Marissa asked.

"No. Nothing like that. I just think that maybe you should talk to her. Let her apologise and try to explain why she did it. If you still feel the same way after you've spoken with her then that's fine. You don't have to have anything more to do with her if you don't want."

"Well what were her other reasons...besides you?" Marissa asked.

"I think that's between you and her. I'd rather not get involved." Ryan looked back at her. She was deep in thought. "Just think about it. There's no hurry. Take your time. If you still decide that you don't want to talk to her then that's fine with me. I just don't want you to regret it in years to come."

"Okay. I'll think about it. But I'm not promising anything." Marissa didn't want to start her day thinking about her mother. She looked at the ring on her finger and it was as if it gave her strength. She realised that she was totally naked except for the ring. She used her thumb to wiggle the ring so that the sunlight made it sparkle. She smiled and reached for the container of whipped cream. "Now what were we about to do?" she smiled and pushed the sheet down to reveal her naked body. "Ah yes…I remember. I was going to put on my whipped cream bikini."

Ryan smiled. "I'm sorry. The slow strip will have to wait. I'm in much too much of a hurry right now." He had his clothes off in a second and joined her on the bed.


	38. Julie comes to stay

_Thanks for the reviews. Things are about to get interesting. Enjoy !_

**Julie comes to stay **

Sandy was sitting in his study when his phone rang. He reached for it and answered. "Hello."

"Sandy?"

"Well, if it isn't the wicked witch of the west." He exclaimed.

There was an awkward silence and Sandy was starting to wonder if he had actually managed to offend her. He wouldn't have thought it possible.

"I guess I deserve that." Julie replied.

"Yes you do. And a lot more I figure." He answered.

Julie hesitated. "You're probably right." She hung her head wondering where this all would end. If it wasn't for Marissa she would like nothing more than getting back on a plane and going back to England. She really didn't want to have to face everyone else but she knew if she was to have any chance at all with Marissa then she would have to make things right with the Cohen's. "I was just wondering if Kirsten and you were home. I figure I owe you an apology about yesterday. If it's okay, I'd like to come and see you."

Sandy was stunned. What had happened to her in less than 24 hours. She didn't sound like the same person. "Okay. I'll come and pick you up."

"I don't want to bother you. I can just get a cab." Julie replied.

"Are you coming to stay or is this just a short visit?" Sandy asked.

"I guess that depends on whether Kirsten will have me. Maybe I should just talk to her first and then we'll see how things go from there."

"Well if you are prepared to apologise then I'm sure Kirsten will give you a fair go. So why don't you pack up your things and I'll be there in about 15 minutes." Sandy suggested.

"Are you sure?" Julie asked.

"No. Not really. But I figure I can always take you back there if things don't work out." Sandy really wasn't sure just how Kirsten would react. "Kirsten should be home soon anyhow. She's just gone to the gym." He explained. "I think the punching bag could have gotten a work out today. So you may be safe….at least for a while."

"Very funny." Julie commented, knowing it was just Sandy's way of having another dig at her.

"I thought so…. I'll just let her know what I'm doing. See you soon." Sandy replied and replaced the phone. He kept looking at it wondering what had brought about the change in Julie. He guessed he would just have to go and get her and find out.

---

When Sandy got to the Mermaid, Julie was standing outside her room with her bags beside her.

"All set?" he asked.

"Yes. Thank you for this." Julie replied obviously on her very best behaviour.

"No problem." Sandy put the bags into the back of his Beemer and opened the door for her. He got into the driver seat and pulled out of the motel.

As he drove, Julie sat in silence looking out the window taking in all that was Newport. He realised that it must have been about 7 years since she had been there. A lot had changed. They drove passed a new estate that had magnificent homes all perched on the side of the hill with views of the ocean. Julie looked at them and smiled. "Newport has certainly changed since I was last here. I thought the house I shared with Caleb was big but those homes up there are amazing." She commented indicating the houses further up on the hill.

"Ryan designed them all. It was one of his earlier projects." Sandy said with pride.

Julie continued to look at the houses. Some perched precariously on the side of the cliff looking out at the ocean. "I'm impressed." She said quietly.

"You should be. He won a number of architectural awards for them. He even developed some new structural process where they cantilevered the slabs or some such thing because of the difficulties associated with the steepness of the sites. That was why those blocks had never been built on before. It would have been too expensive. But with Ryan's new way it all became feasible. And wallah beautiful homes. They are probably the most sought after in Newport now."

"I can see why." She continued to look out the window. "I guess I underestimated him."

"So what's new? You always have. I don't know why you can't see what an exceptional person he is?"

"Maybe I'm just starting to realise." Julie stated.

"What?" Sandy was amazed. He couldn't imagine what had brought about the change in Julie. Only yesterday she was running him down and know this ...?

"He came to see me." Julie stated plainly.

"He what?" Sandy was stunned. He had imagined that he would have to try to talk through things with Julie first and then ... depending how things went, he would try to get Ryan to come over and they could all go through it together. He knew Ryan wasn't easily intimidated but he had never imagined he would take on the dragon lady alone. "When?" Sandy asked.

"This morning." Julie tried not to think about what had happened in her room. She could just imagine what Sandy would say if she told him about that. "We…um… went for a walk… on the pier."

"I can't notice any blood. I'm hoping that he is in as good a shape as you?"

Julie smiled at Sandy's attempt at humour. She just wasn't finding anything very funny right now. "Yeah. He's fine. We just had a talk."

"And how did it go?" Sandy asked dying to know what had gone on between her and Ryan.

"Um. I guess you'll have to ask him." She said as they pulled into the Cohen's driveway.

Sandy got out and retrieved Julie's luggage from the car. "Come on in. Kirsten's obviously home now." He said, noticing the other car in the drive. He started to feel a little nervous about what Kirsten would think about him bringing Julie to their home after yesterday. "I'll just leave your things at the door until we decide what's going on."

Julie just nodded and followed him through to the kitchen.

---

Kirsten looked up as Sandy and Julie entered. She had been sitting with a coffee reading the paper. Although to be truthful the words in front of her weren't sinking in. She had really just been waiting for them to arrive. Ever since she'd gotten home and found the note Sandy had left she had been on edge. She stared at Julie wondering why she was even letting her into their house after what she had said about Ryan yesterday.

"Look who I found enjoying the luxuries of the Mermaid Inn." Sandy said trying to break the tension.

Julie and Kirsten looked at one another both waiting for the other to speak. Eventually Kirsten's good manners won out. "Would you like a coffee Julie?"

"Thank you. That would be great." She knew she owed Kirsten an apology but she didn't know where to start. An awkward silence followed, as Kirsten got a mug from the cupboard and filled it and then placed it in front of Julie. Julie looked into its depths and said "The cup I had with Ryan this morning left a little to be desired."

Kirsten's head shot up. She didn't know that Ryan had seen Julie. She wondered what had gone on between them. She wanted to excuse herself and call Ryan but she knew that wasn't possible right now. If Julie had upset him Kirsten would never forgive her. She'd kick her out of the house immediately. "When did you talk with Ryan?" Kirsten asked Julie, whilst looking at Sandy to try to gauge how much he knew about all this. He just shrugged.

"He came by the motel this morning." Julie answered.

"Why?" Sandy asked making it clear that he knew no more than Kirsten.

"Well he didn't beat me up obviously. What do you think? He wanted to talk." Julie replied already tired with the feeling that she was somehow on trial.

"And?" Kirsten looked at Julie knowing that something had happened between them because this was a different Julie to the one they had collected from the airport yesterday.

"I apologised for what happened in New York. Is that what you wanted to know?" Julie asked. She didn't know if she was going to be able to go through all this again. Going through it with Ryan was hard enough. She already felt emotionally exhausted. Admitting it to Kirsten and Sandy might be even harder. If that was possible?

"Well that's a start. Would you care to explain to us just what you were doing in lying to them?" Kirsten asked.

Julie hung her head. She had hoped that she may have been able to put this off for a while. That maybe they could pretend that it had never happened and that she could just catch up with them as if she was a long lost friend. No such luck.

"It was complicated…. You wouldn't understand…." Julie started.

"Try me." Kirsten said. She could see that Julie was a defeated woman. Whatever had happened with Ryan this morning had changed Julie.

"I don't know where to start." She shook her head.

Kirsten looked over at Sandy. She thought about asking him to leave, thinking it might make things easier for Julie if she only had Kirsten in the room. But then she wondered why she should try to make things easy for Julie, after what she had done to Ryan and Marissa. "Take your time. We're not going anywhere."

Julie looked at them both. "Well it was all a combination of things." Julie hesitated.

"Such as?" Kirsten prompted her.

"Do we really have to do this?" Julie asked her eyes pleading with them. "I've already explained myself to Ryan. And apologised. Do I have to go through it all again?"

"You don't have to. But right now, Sandy and I are having a hard time being civil to you. If you expect us to have any compassion for you, you are going to have to tell us what could have possibly got in to you for you to do that to them." Kirsten looked at Sandy wondering what to expect from Julie. This was certainly a different person from the one she wanted to strangle yesterday. There was actually a part of her that felt sorry for Julie. She seemed so …… defeated?

Just then the phone rang. Sandy looked down and realised that it was Ryan. "I ..um…need to take this call. I'll just leave you to it and go and take it in my study." He said leaving the room. As he got to the door he turned and added "Just remember…play nicely you two." He left as two sets of eyes glared at him.

Julie looked up hoping that they could maybe change the subject now that Sandy had left the room. No such luck. From the look on Kirsten's face, Julie knew she wasn't getting out of this so lightly.

---

There was another uncomfortable silence.

"I'm still waiting." Kirsten said.

"What do you want me to say. I broke them up because I needed Marissa's money. Isn't that what you think?"

"I don't know what to think that's why I'm asking you to tell me." Kirsten replied quietly trying to encourage Julie to continue.

Julie looked at Kirsten and thought back to how good a friend she had been. If she had any hope of getting Marissa to forgive her she knew she would need Kirsten's help. She took a deep breathe and began. "I'm not proud to say it, but that was definitely a big part of it. When Jimmy left after..." she looked at Kirsten to see if the thought of Caleb still upset her.

"My dad died….. I'm sorry he left you in such a state. I know that Sandy and I should have done more to help you out. But with me being fresh out of rehab and all of the problems with the Newport group I guess we just had a lot on our plate. And you seemed to be coping so well."

"Yeah. I'm pretty good at acting. Maybe I should have given that a shot as a career." she smiled as she looked at Kirsten. Julie was surprised that Kirsten seemed to be giving her excuses and trying to take some of the blame herself. Maybe she would be able to get Kirsten on her side. But she also knew that ultimately she had no one to blame but herself. "As I was saying, when Jimmy left, Marissa and I had nothing. We were being evicted and we had no where to go. So it was the obvious thing to do, to go where the high paying jobs were. And of course, it helped me in my quest to put as much distance as possible between Ryan and my daughter. I had always thought that he was not good enough for her and before you bite my head off I'd just like to say that I think I've changed my mind. The man that came to see me this morning was not at all as I remembered him or at least how I'd allowed myself to remember him."

Kirsten smiled. Ryan never ceased to amaze her. "Go on."

"But as I tried to tell Ryan. It was not only the money, although yes that was a big part of it. But Marissa was all I had. Everyone else in my life had deserted me. It was as if we had somehow put our differences behind us because it was us against the world. She was my best friend. My only friend. Even so, I knew that when Ryan graduated, Marissa would want to make a life with him and then what would I have done. I was her manager but I knew that she could have replaced me in an instance and even I couldn't kid myself that I was very good at it. People chased Marissa because she was so good. All I did was keep her diary." Julie looked to Kirsten trying to gauge how she was taking all this. "I would never have been able to get another model to manage. I even tried for a little while. But no one was interested. And how could you blame them. I really didn't know what I was doing. So… I had started to get concerned about what would happen when Ryan finished college. Not only would I lose my source of income but my best friend as well. I would be all alone. When he called to say that he was coming to surprise her for New Years it seemed like it was meant to be. It was so easy. I just had to tell a couple of lies and destroy the letter he sent her. Then I paid someone to fix her laptop so that any mail to or from either Ryan or Summer were deleted. I even broke her phone so that she needed to get a new one and of course I made sure that no one here would have the number." Julie looked at Kirsten and realised that she was clenching her fists waiting for Julie to finish.

"How could you do that to them?" Kirsten pleaded.

"I did it because I loved her and I didn't want to lose her."

"Bullshit. If you loved her you would have wanted to see her happy. And if that meant with Ryan then so be it."

"You don't understand. She was doing so well. She had numerous offers from Europe to work at all of the most important fashion shows and she kept knocking them back all because they would take her further away from him. He was holding her back. Once I'd got rid of him then her career really took off. She should be thanking me for all that I did for her."

"Thanking you? I don't believe even you could honestly believe that. Should she thank you for living on anti-depressants as well?" Kirsten asked.

Julie went quiet. Did everyone know about that? "If it makes you feel any better then no. I didn't enjoy the fact that she took the move so badly."

"It wasn't the move. It was the thought that she had lost Ryan. And that was just a contrived lie of yours. I didn't see what Marissa went through, but I know what Ryan was like and for that I don't think I can ever forgive you. To think that they have lost so much time together... The only reason I'm even able to speak to you is because I know just how happy they are right now. If you could see them together?" Kirsten smiled thinking about the change in Ryan since Marissa had come back. "They are so in love it's almost blinding…..To think that you did all in your power to destroy that. The only thing that you have destroyed is your relationship with your daughter."

"Please don't say that. I have to make her understand."

"Understand? What is there to understand? That her mother is a manipulating conniving liar. How could you blame her for wanting nothing more to do with you?"

"But Kirsten you have to help me. I didn't realise that he meant so much to her. I thought it was just some teenage crush that she would grow out of."

"I don't believe you. You made it difficult for them from the start. I think you always knew that Ryan would be the reason that Marissa would leave you. You pushed them both to the verge of breakdowns trying to keep them apart. And all because you were worried about yourself. If you really had become that close with Marissa do you think she would have just taken off with Ryan and left you destitute? The Marissa I know would never have done that. All you are doing is trying to justify what you did. And you can't."

Julie looked at Kirsten. Was she telling the truth? Had she really been that selfish? She hung her head as she realised that a lot of what Kirsten said made sense. She wasn't game to reveal to Kirsten that she had also realised that maybe she had been jealous of her own daughter. She didn't think Kirsten would understand that at all.

Sandy had been watching and listening from the doorway. He decided to let them know he was there and re-enter the room. "Um…I've just spoken with Ryan. He has agreed to try to get Marissa to come to lunch tomorrow but he isn't sure if she will be prepared to come. She still seems convinced that she wants nothing more to do with you."

Julie looked at him and she could feel the tears welling in her eyes. "What should I do?"

"I'd suggest praying for forgiveness. I think you'll need help from above to have any chance with her." Sandy said.

Julie looked at Kirsten. "Would I be able to lie down somewhere for a while? I have a headache and I'm not feeling very well."

"Take the bed in the guest room." She said still angry with Julie.

"I'll bring your bags up." Sandy offered and looked at Kirsten trying to convey to her that he thought she could be a little more sympathetic..

"Do you want a Tylenol?" Kirsten asked, ever the gracious host.

"Thank you. But I don't think that will fix it." Julie replied.

"Nor do I." Sandy added.


	39. Marissa returns the favour

_I'm really sorry about the updates. I have been putting them up but then it's been taking hours and hours for them to appear. I have no idea why but hopefully you'll stick with it. There's lots to come._

_Enjoy !_

**Marissa decides to return the favour **

After talking with Sandy, Ryan left his study and found Marissa reading in the lounge. "So what would you like to do with the rest of the day?" he leant in, kissing her lightly. He smiled as he felt her tongue move to deepen the kiss.

"Haven't you had enough?" he laughed pulling back.

"Enough what?" she smiled knowing exactly what he was talking about.

"Enough of me? Of that?" He said kissing her lightly again.

"Never. Are you suggesting you have? Had enough of me I mean? Or that?" she asked.

"No. That will never happen." He leaned in and kissed her again, this time using his tongue to kiss her more thoroughly, leaving her in no doubt about his words. "But I thought you may want to get out of here for a while. Get some fresh air. Find something else to do?"

"What? Are you telling me you haven't enjoyed what we've been doing?" she asked teasingly.

"I didn't say that. You know very well that you only have to say the word and I'll be ready. Mind you perhaps I shouldn't admit to that."

"Why?" she asked surprised.

"Because then you might make another visit to Victoria's Secret to get something to get me 'interested'." He replied giving her one of his half smiles.

"Oh yeah. I can just see us spending the afternoon in Victoria's Secret at South Coast Plaza." Marissa said as she pulled him down to sit beside her. She moved over and sat on his knee and draped her arm around his neck and started to trace circles around his ear.

"Yeah. You could try on things and model them for me like last night and I could sit and watch."

"Remember, watching would be all you'd be able to do. There would be no touching like last night."

"What about if I used no hands?" Ryan suggested. "Just my mouth?" He smiled thinking of the possibilities.

"Uh uh" she replied and shook her head from side to side.

"Well someone would have to help you out of those things. I could be your dresser." He suggested hopefully.

"More like undresser." Marissa replied laughing at the thought of Ryan 'helping her' in the change rooms.

"Yeah. That sounds like me. It could be a new career path for me. Marissa Cooper's undresser. I like the sound of that." Ryan said as he started to undo the buttons on her blouse.

Marissa grabbed his hand and stopped him.

"What? I'm just practising for my new profession." Ryan said innocently.

Marissa started to laugh. "Can you imagine the riot we would cause if we actually walked in to South Coast Plaza and did that."

"Hmm. It is Saturday so crowd control could be a problem. I guess."

"You guess? You do realise that the paparazzi haven't given up on us just yet. They just think I'm staying with Summer. It's only a matter of time before they realise that I'm living with you."

Ryan smiled at her.

"What's with the smile? Is that funny?"

"No. I just like the sound of that." Ryan replied.

"What? That the paparazzi are going to start bugging us again?"

"No….. But when you first moved in, you were 'staying with me'. Now you're 'living with me'. Does this mean that you're not going back to Paris when the film finishes?" Ryan looked at her hopefully.

"Um…. I haven't really thought about it." Marissa replied honestly.

Ryan felt like a black cloud had suddenly passed over the sun. "Oh…I was hoping you didn't need to." He said as he pulled back severing contact with her.

"Ry. Don't be like that. It's just that it is a big decision for me. I mean….I have a whole other life over there. Friends, my job, my apartment. I can't just pretend that none of that exists."

Ryan shrugged his shoulders. He couldn't bare the thought of living without her. "I know…I just thought…"

Marissa realised that Ryan still wasn't confident that she was in this for the long haul. She looked down at her ring. She knew how much comfort, strength and reassurance she felt when she looked at it and she wanted to do the same for him. He may pretend to be this tough guy but he was just as insecure as her when it really came down to it. Julie's lies had hurt them both so much they both found it difficult to trust in their relationship again. She had to fix this. "I know what I want to do today." She stood up and pulled him up behind her. "We're going shopping."

"No." he shook his head. "I think I've sort of lost a bit of interest in Victoria's Secret." He replied, reluctantly following behind her.

"Ah. But that's not where we're going." She smiled.

"Where are we off to then?" he asked still feeling blue about the possibility of Marissa leaving.

"Where ever the best jeweller is we can find. I need to get you a promise ring."

"What?" he looked at her and shook his head thinking he must have heard wrong.

"You heard me. I just realised that you need a token of my love just as much as I needed one yesterday."

"No you don't have to." He smiled.

"I know. But I want to. It doesn't have to be a ring…. But I want to buy you something so that whenever you are having any doubts about things then you can look at it and know that I'm in this forever. I love you. And, no, I haven't worked out what I will do when the film is finished. But I do know that I can't imagine my life without you. Somehow we'll sort it out. Together. We will find a way to make it work. Okay?"

Ryan smiled and leant in to kiss her. "That's all I needed to hear. Do you know how much I love you?"

"As long as it's half as much as I love you then I know we'll be together forever."

"Half as much? It's 10 times as much at least." He smiled.

"Not possible. There's not that much in the world. But come on we've got shopping to do. And you know once I'm on a shopping mission then I'm unstoppable." She laughed.

"Is that a dare?" he asked.

"What do you mean? That I'm unstoppable?"

Ryan nodded. "Uh huh."

"Well." Marissa thought for a moment. "Yep. Unless you resort to brut force, then it is."

Ryan smiled knowingly.

"What. You think otherwise?" Marissa asked.

"Well. I just thought now might be a good time for me to do that strip you asked for earlier." He gave her his little half smile that he knew would make her melt and slowly unbuttoned his shirt while she watched. When he'd finished with the buttons he then took it off to reveal his wife beater underneath.

She knew she was staring but she couldn't help it. "You….that's playing dirty….you must really hate shopping to resort to..."

"So what's it to be?" he asked as he moved his hands down and undid his belt and then took it off, twirling it around before he dropped it on the floor beside the shirt and then moved to the top button on his jeans. He hesitated hooking his thumbs in his jeans and pulling them …down….just enough so she could see the fine trail of hair that led from his belly button down into his pants. Marissa could feel her mouth go dry waiting with anticipation for him to continue. He started to unbutton the fly on his jeans …one …by….one.

Marissa couldn't take her eyes off him. She had become fixated on his fingers watching them as they worked on the buttons. She was getting impatient. Surely he could do it faster than he was. She wanted him to hurry up. She could feel herself getting warm just watching him. "Maybe I'm delayable….. But definitely unstoppable." She smiled as she moved back towards him and tried to help him by taking off his wife beater.

"Uh uh" he said. "Remember you're just watching. No touching the merchandise. Just take a seat." He smiled as he pulled the wife beater over his head and proceeded to use it to rub over his chest and arms. She watched as his nipples stood to attention, wanting to lick and suck them. She could feel the heat in her building. This wasn't love it was pure lust. He was that good.

Marissa watched as his hand moved over his abs and pecs and then he slipped his hand down inside his jeans to 'rearrange things'. It was obvious from the log she could see in his jeans that this was having an effect on him as well. She thought she might pass out with longing looking at the stiffness in his pants straining against the denim that was just managing to keep it restrained. She could feel between her legs the first flickers of the flames that she knew were about to engulf her. It was only a matter of time until she would be on fire.

Ryan turned his back to her and moved to ease his jeans down off his hips.….slowly…..he moved them down a couple of inches…just far enough for Marissa to become aware that he was going commando and he looked over his shoulder and smiled at her. "More?" he asked.

At that point she knew he'd won. She couldn't take it any more. She needed to feel him between her legs and NOW! Otherwise she might spontaneously combust.

"Okay….You win. Whatever you want. Just do it now." She reached for him knowing the shopping trip had been definitely delayed.

---

Ryan was lying on his back naked on the lounge room rug. Marissa was lying on top of him still with her denim skirt on but all her other clothes scattered on the floor around them. She had taken her g string off in seconds and had pushed Ryan down on to the rug and basically 'jumped him'. While she was riding him, she had pulled off her shirt and bra with his help but somehow they had never quite got to the skirt. It was pushed up around her waist and since it wasn't impeding them they had left it there.

"I think I've just been ravished." Ryan stated giving Marissa a puzzled look.

"I think you have too." She smiled. "Sorry about that. I couldn't help myself. That strip was really…….I couldn't help it ….I think maybe you should do it again."

"Um. I hate to be the one to break it to you but it's a bit hard for me to strip when I'm already butt naked." He laughed.

"I don't mean right now. Later. I definitely found it a big turn on."

"So I noticed. If only I'd realised earlier the affect it would have on you, I'm sure I could have started shedding my clothes a long time ago."

"It's alright. I'll let you make it up to me. But first we have to go shopping."

"Shopping? I thought I'd got out of that. Didn't I win the dare?"

"Yes you did and are you complaining about your reward?" she smiled pushing herself back up to straddle him and rubbing her hands over his chest.

"No. Never."

"Well then, I think you have managed to delay us quite enough but now I'm a woman on a mission. Get dressed and let's go. We've got things to do."

Ryan reluctantly stood up and started to pull his clothes back on. "You do know that we are going to attract attention if we are shopping together. Someone is sure to recognise at least one if not both of us."

"Does it really bother you?" Marissa asked as she put her clothes back on.

Ryan thought about it. "I guess not. Part of me would like to shout it from the roof tops."

Marissa smiled. "Well I thought about a front page ad but I guess the roof top would be fine."

"If we're shopping at South Coast Plaza together, don't be surprised if we do end up on the front page anyhow."

"Good. It'll save us the worry of placing the ad." She leaned in and gave him a kiss. "I love you and I don't care who knows."

As Marissa started to pull back, Ryan held her and deepened the kiss. When she was totally breathless he pulled back and looked at her smiling.

Marissa waited a moment until her eyes refocused and she was sure her legs would actually support her. "Hmm. That's nice. But don't think that will get you out of shopping."

Ryan laughed. "I've tried all my tricks and you still want to shop."

"Yep. Plus I've decided I want to show you off. We've kept this to ourselves long enough."

"Yeah. A week. It's about time we let people know." He laughed still amazed at how far they'd come in such a short space of time.

"More like 7 years, if it hadn't been for my mum." Marissa said losing the smile from her face as she thought of Julie.

"Hey don't be like that. The important thing is that we're together now." Ryan wanted to change the subject. He would deal with the Julie problem later. Right now he wanted to spend some quality time with Marissa and he didn't want the thought of Julie putting a dampener on their day. "Okay. Come on. Let's go. I'm sure those shops are just waiting for us. This should be interesting to say the least."

---

They made their way to the mall and as expected they attracted plenty of attention. But they had decided to ignore it and not let it spoil their day. They noticed a few people taking photos and had a couple ask for autographs but for the most part it was manageable and most people were polite and kept their distance.

"So have you decided what you would like yet?" Marissa asked as they made their way towards the jewellery stores.

"No." Ryan pulled her hand to get her to stop and talk to him. "You know we don't have to do this. I'm not much of a one for jewellery."

"I know... but if you don't want a ring, then how about a new watch? I'd really like to get you one of the new gold Rolex's. They are beautiful and really thin and light. I did the ads for them in Switzerland a few months ago." She smiled at him. "Please. It can make up for the missed birthdays and Chrismukkahs…. And whenever you are having doubts you can look at it and know that I love you….just like I do with my ring." She looked up at him and their eyes held.

"Do you know how much I want to kiss you right now?" Ryan asked.

"Hopefully a whole lot. But I don't think the general public are quite ready for that just yet. Maybe the hand holding is enough for today. We'll work up to it." Marissa smiled as she looked into his eyes and could see the fire burning in them that she knew was just for her.

"Then just wait til we get home. You're in for it my lady." He replied.

"I can hardly wait. But come on let's go and see what we can find and then you can take me home and do another striptease for me."

"I don't think you should have too many of those or you might not think them special anymore."

"I assure you… you will always be special." Marissa leant up and kissed him sweetly on the lips totally forgetting where she was and the fact that they had just decided a kiss would not be a good idea, in such a public place.

They were both startled by the flash that went off and turned to see a photographer making his way hurriedly out of the mall and a number of people staring at them and giggling.

"Oops." Marissa said.

"Now that will probably make the front page." Ryan said. He couldn't help but smile.

"I'm sorry. I know we'd just decided not too. But it just sort of happened. I guess my brain wasn't engaged."

Ryan smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'm gathering that other parts of your body were in charge rather than you're brain."

"Yeah. I guess. Looking at you seems to scramble my brain and I can't think straight."

"Hmm. I know what you mean. I have the same problem looking at you. Maybe it's some sort of disease? And we should go home and take ourselves off to bed." He leered at her just to make sure she knew exactly what would be happening once they got into bed. "We'd hate to spread it around."

"No way buddy. Not until we've purchased my love token for you. Just make up your mind what you'd like and it won't take so long. And then we can go home to bed."

"Promises, promises…You're not going to change your mind about this, are you?" Ryan stated rather than asked.

"Nope." Marissa replied as she stopped to look in the window at some watches.

"So a watch hey?" Ryan asked.

"Yep." She smiled and continued to look in the window. "Unless there is something else that you'd prefer? We could always see what they have in leather cuffs?" Marissa said teasing him.

"I think the range is much better in Chino for those. Maybe we should wait and have a look there when we go to visit my new development. That way we could go home to bed right now." He suggested.

"I was just joking. I'm not getting you a leather cuff. I want something special." She smiled. "So let's go. The sooner we finish here. The sooner we can go home." Marissa replied and pulled him in the door of the Rolex dealer.

"I like your thinking."


	40. Julie's surprise

**Julie's surprise**

Sunday morning dawned bright and sunny. Julie sat at the kitchen table, drinking a coffee and looking at the morning paper. As she turned the page she couldn't help but gasp. There … in front of her … on Page 3 … was an article on Ryan and Marissa headed 'ARE THEY LOOKING TO MAKE IT PERMANENT?'. There were two photos. One of them, walking hand in hand through the mall and another of them, kissing, in front of a jewellery shop window.

Kirsten heard the sharp intake of breath and looked across at what Julie was reading. She moved around so that she could look over Julie's shoulder.

"I guess it was only a matter of time." Kirsten stated.

"What do you mean by that? You can't mean you think they should be getting engaged already?" Julie asked.

Kirsten scowled at her "I meant… before the paparazzi managed to catch them out. I think it's amazing that they have managed to keep it under wraps for this long."

"This long? She's only been back in the country for 2 weeks. Did she go looking for him as soon as she arrived?"

"No. If you really want to know, I think Summer organised a dinner for the four of them to catch up but Ryan was a no show. He got caught up at work or something and apparently Marissa thought he was avoiding her so he asked her out for drinks to prove that that wasn't the case and the rest as they say 'is history'."

"I can't believe it's all happened so quickly." Julie said shaking her head.

"Yeah" Kirsten couldn't help but smile as she thought about Ryan and Marissa "But…if you see them together…. they can barely keep their hands off one another." She smiled again as she looked back at the photos. "They look good together don't they?" Kirsten suggested not really needing an answer. It was blatantly obvious.

"Um…I…." Julie didn't know what to say. She was still in shock.

"What? Don't tell me you're going to deny that they are a good looking couple? No matter what you may think about Ryan you have to admit that he is a good looking guy. I wasn't asking you to bless the union or anything. It was a simple question." Kirsten was getting angry again. She still couldn't imagine how Julie could have been so selfish to break Ryan and Marissa up in the first place.

"No. It wasn't that. I was just…surprised at…" Julie wasn't sure she knew how to explain. "how ….happy she looks. I mean she is almost… glowing." Julie realised that she hadn't seen Marissa look like that for….. she didn't know how long …. a number of years.

Kirsten calmed down a little. "If you could just see them? It would do your heart good. They are so much in love. Whenever they are around one another it's as if no one else exists." She added. "What does the article say?"

Julie read a little and then looked up. "It doesn't really say very much at all. Just that the sighting confirms the suspicion that they are in fact seeing one another …all the rest is just supposition. Apparently they were shopping together at South Coast Plaza yesterday and were seen going in to a jeweller's store. But it says here that they weren't carrying any bags when they left and apparently no one in the store would reveal what they were looking at. It says that it was at first thought that they had purchased a sapphire and diamond ring but it was later confirmed that Marissa was wearing it when she entered the store." Julie frowned. "I don't remember her ever having one of those." Julie looked up at Kirsten. "You don't think…." She couldn't even bring herself to say it.

"What? That maybe they ARE going to make things permanent? Who knows?" Kirsten smiled loving the thought that Ryan and Marissa would one day wed. "If you see them together then I think you would realise that it would be the most natural thing in the world. But they are not silly kids any more. My guess would be that they won't be in any great rush. But then…" Kirsten shrugged her shoulders "After what you have put them through… maybe they have decided that they have wasted enough time already. I guess you'll have to ask your daughter about that – if she decides she wants to speak with you." Kirsten said surprising herself with the venom on her words. "Of course I could ask my son but I don't need to. I trust him to make the right decision and I know that he will include us when he feels the time is right."

Julie smarted from the obvious insult. "Do you think she will come to lunch today?"

"I honestly don't know. Ryan said he would let us know when he knew for sure. I expect he will call shortly. But I'm warning you now. Unless he has managed to work some sort of miracle…. Let's just say… the way she was on Friday…" Kirsten shook her head. "I don't like your chances…. Still… if anyone can talk her in to it, it will be Ryan. But even if they don't come, Seth and Summer will be here and I don't think you should expect much of a welcome from them. We have all been affected by what you did."

Julie looked at Kirsten. She didn't know where this would all end. She decided to go and call Dan. She felt the need to hear a friendly voice. Not that she wasn't concerned about what he would think if he ever found out exactly what she had done. But at least for the moment she knew that he would brighten her day and it sounded like it might be the only bright part she would have to look forward to.

---

Sunday morning, Marissa awoke nestled in to Ryan's chest. She went to move and felt the cool metal on her cheek. Smiling she lifted her hand and played with the thin platinum chain around Ryan's neck as he stirred.

"Good morning." He said as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Good morning." Marissa kissed him softly. "I haven't gotten used to this around your neck yet."

Ryan smiled. "Do you want me to take it off? I could do a strip." He suggested thinking about her reaction to his strip yesterday.

"Funny boy. When you're naked and the only thing you have on is a platinum chain then taking it off does not constitute a strip. And besides I don't want you to ever take it off. It's meant to stay there always." Marissa started to pout, pretending to be offended that Ryan would take off her gift.

Ryan kissed her lightly on the tip of her nose. "Don't pull that face on me. You know I have no intention of taking it off. I love it."

"You love it?" Marissa pushed sounding surprised.

"Well. I like it." He said and then as he watched the smile fade from her face he added. "Really like it." He stressed. "And I'm sure once I get used to having something around my neck all the time, then I'll love it." He smiled. "How can I not, knowing that you gave it to me."

"Crawler. Just think yourself lucky. We could have got one of those big thick gold chains and then you'd be complaining about how heavy it was."

"I didn't think they were quite me. A bit too ostentatious for my liking." Ryan screwed up his face indicating exactly what he thought of the idea.

"What do you mean? I know a lot of guys who wear them." Marissa asked.

"Yeah? Are they mostly European with lots of thick black chest hair?" Ryan quizzed.

Marissa nodded. "Maybe." She smiled seeing where he was going with this.

"Well, they'd need one that thick just to be seen through the chest fur. I'm very happy with what I've got."

"Hmmm. Me to." Marissa replied and began to run her fingers over Ryan's body to make sure he knew what she was referring to.

He could feel himself responding. He was still amazed that she could make his body react with just the smallest touch. "You didn't mind about the watch?" Ryan asked.

"No. You should have just told me in the beginning that the one you were wearing was special to you. If I'd known that Sandy and Kirsten gave it to you for your 21st then I would never have suggested replacing it. Anyhow, I think this is better." She said as she played with it some more.

"What even without the chest hair?" Ryan smiled.

"Mmmm." Marissa started to kiss down his chest starting near his neck and slowly going lower hesitating at his nipples for extra attention. "I'm… not… a…" She said kissing him in between each word. "big… fan… of… chest… hair…"She looked up and smiled at him. "I… like… this… chest… just… how… it… is." By the time she was finished she was under the sheet and down below his belly button. "Well look at that. I've found something else I like too." She smiled as she started to work her magic on his hardness.

"Ris… Maybe you shouldn't do that?...I don't know if I can stop.." Ryan gasped out barely able to control himself.

Marissa ignored what he was saying and continued with what she was doing; loving the sound of him losing control and knowing that she was the cause. It still amazed her that she could get almost as much enjoyment out of making him feel good, as she did when the roles were reversed. She knew that was only because she loved him so much that making him happy was the most important thing in her life. She had not really thought about it until now but it all of a sudden it hit her that maybe that was what true love was….when someone else's happiness became more important to you than your own. And if that was the case then she was definitely in love.


	41. Ryan's question

_Okay a new post just because I can't wait to see your reactions to what's coming up. Hope you enjoy it and as I've said before the sooner you respond the sooner I'll post again. Enjoy!_

**Ryan's Question**

"You know that was amazing." Ryan said when he had recovered.

Marissa had re-emerged from under the sheets and was lying beside him gazing at the man she loved. She smiled but said nothing.

"If you just give me a minute to recover, I'll return the favour and it can be your turn." He said.

Marissa then moved over and snuggled back into Ryan's chest. "I don't need a turn. I'm happy just where I am. In fact I don't think I'll move."

"Does that mean you want to stay in bed all day?'

"Sounds good to me."

"I'd like to think it was my body that you were craving but I have a funny feeling this is more to do with avoiding lunch at the Cohen's than any attraction you feel for me."

"Sounds like everyone's a winner with this plan." Marissa suggested.

"Do you really think so?" Ryan asked.

Marissa went quiet. She played with the chain. Twirling it around her fingers. "Do you think she will be there? Maybe she's still at the Mermaid? Or even better still, maybe she's gone back to England?"

"No. She's there, unless of course they have kicked her out again. I spoke to Sandy yesterday and he had just been and collected her from the Mermaid. He said that she and Kirsten were sizing one another up in the kitchen which is why he couldn't talk for long. He thought he should get back just in case he needed to referee."

Marissa laughed. "I hope my mother didn't say anything to upset Kirsten. She's such a lady and I'm afraid Julie's background comes to the fore when she is threatened. She may try to pretend that she is a classy lady but as we both know those years in Riverside have left their mark."

"Don't worry about Kirsten. She can look after herself when someone is threatening anyone in her family. And that includes you." He added. "I think your mum may have found out the hard way just what Kirsten can be like. Don't get me wrong, I love her to pieces. But I can just imagine what she would have been like. Ever so polite, and she would have given your mum a chance to explain but if she didn't like what Julie had to say then she would have left her in no doubt about the fact."

"Do you think that Kirsten will have forgiven her?" Marissa asked.

"I honestly don't know. But I do think she will have given her a chance."

"And you'll be mad at me if I don't do the same thing?" Marissa stated or asked he wasn't sure which.

"I won't be mad. I just..." he tried to find the words to explain how he felt but he couldn't. "I mean Riss… have you really thought about it? I know I said that I'd respect your decision but..."

"But?" Marissa queried.

"I really think that you owe…"

"I don't owe her anything." Marissa said crossly.

"No not her. I was about to say that I think you owe it to yourself to listen to what she has to say. I'll be right there with you or you can talk to her on your own if you'd prefer…. remember...she is the only family you have."

"Are you trying to make me feel worse?" Marissa asked.

"No. But… she still owes you an apology if nothing else. Maybe you should just give her a chance. And also it should be entertaining. I doubt that Summer is going to let her off easily. I suspect she's had a rage blackout brewing since Friday. It should have quite a head of steam by now."

Marissa thought about what he had said.

"You really want me to do this? Don't you?"

"Well… Yes" He agreed. "But don't do it just for me. You have to want to do it as well or it will just be a waste of time. You know I'll support you whatever you decide."

"It's just, I don't know if I can ever forgive her for what she has done. The woman I thought I knew could not have done this to anyone let alone us. So, I must be a terrible judge of character to have believed all the lies that she obviously fed me. How do I know that she won't just do it again? Whatever she says, I don't know if I'll be able to believe any of it."

"Well…for what it's worth, I did make it clear to her that if she ever lied to us again that she would never see either one of us again." He smiled as he thought back to his threat to Julie.

"What's with the smile. I don't see what is funny about that?"

"Well as well as including us I also told her if she lied to us then she wouldn't see her grandchildren." He looked shyly at her waiting for her reaction.

"Grandchildren hey? We're not getting a bit ahead of ourselves are we?"

"I don't know." Ryan looked at her and replied honestly. "We've certainly been practising the techniques a lot. And don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with the way the practice is coming along." He kissed her to make sure she was in no doubt about that. "But….well ever since we talked about it on the way home from San Fran the other day…I guess I've just started to think about the idea…and...well… I'm surprised how much it appeals to me. I mean whenever you're ready" he shrugged his shoulders. "I guess only you can decide when we stop practising and start trying for the real thing or even if you want to."

Marissa thought for a moment. "Well…it's a bit early just yet. I'm not sure if I'm ready for kids…."

Ryan looked down. He didn't know why her answer disappointed him so much. It's not as if he had even thought about having children until she'd come back. But for some reason now, he kept envisioning their house with their children running through it.

Marissa realised that he had gone quiet. "But what I do know is… that when I am ready, I want you to be the father."

Ryan smiled and leant in and kissed her. "That'll do for now. One day we are going to fill all these bedrooms with our children."

"Exactly how many bedrooms are there? Is this why you've never actually given me the guided tour? In case I chicken out?"

"Well we don't have to fill all of them but maybe most….?" Ryan looked at her hopefully.

Marissa just smiled. "Let's wait and see."

"Okay. But that doesn't help with our current predicament. What do we do about lunch? Do we go or not?" Ryan asked getting back to the topic at hand.

Marissa thought for a moment. "Okay then. I guess I can't resist the thought of watching Summer give my mother a piece of her mind."

"As long as that's all it is. But I think a smack around the face is a distinct possibility as well if Summer hasn't calmed down since Friday."

Marissa smiled knowing he was just trying to make her feel better.

"I'll just call Kirsten and let her know we are coming." Ryan added thinking that once she was committed she would be less likely to change her mind.

---

Seth and Summer pulled up on the Cohen's driveway and Summer jumped out of the car and rang the doorbell almost in a single motion.

Seth quickly joined her and said "I want you to promise me that you will not just attack her."

"I'm not promising anything. She doesn't deserve our consideration." Summer replied getting impatient waiting for someone to answer the door.

"Well I feel like you too. But remember Dad asked that we at least give her a chance to explain." Seth added.

"She'll get her chance. But I'm telling you it better be good or I'm going to let her have it." Summer had been waiting to see Julie since Friday and she intended to let her have it… with both barrels.

Sandy opened the door in front of them having heard every word since their voices were raised.

"Summer, son. Nice to see you. Come on in."

"Where is she?" Summer asked not bothering with the niceties. Much too focused on giving Julie a piece of her mind.

"If you mean Julie, she's just gone to get something from her room. She'll be down shortly. But if you mean Kirsten, then she's in the kitchen so come on through."

"Of course I meant Julie. I can't wait to …"

"Summer... She's a little fragile, so maybe you should take it easy on her." Sandy suggested.

"Easy on her? Why? What's with you two men? She needs to be made to pay for what she has done. And I don't mean just to Ryan and Marissa, or though that would be enough. But I lost my best friend because of what she did. Has anybody even considered that? Ryan and Marissa weren't the only victims here..."

"I'm sorry." Julie said from the doorway. She had been coming back down the stairs and had heard everything that Summer had said.

Summer turned to look at her. "Sorry? You think that's all you need to say to make this all better. Do you have any idea about how much we all went through because of your lies?"

Julie hung her head. She didn't think she could do this again. Just then the phone rang and Kirsten jumped to answer it. Anything to break the tension in the room.

"Hello." She said, four pairs of eyes staring at her. "Sure. See you in a few minutes." She added and replaced the phone. She looked up. "That was Ryan. They're just leaving, so they'll be here shortly. He asked if maybe Julie would wait for Marissa in the pool house. He thought it might be easier for Marissa if they could have some time in private without an audience." She looked at Julie trying to gauge her thoughts on the idea.

Julie couldn't wait to get away from Summer who looked like she was about to attack her physically. The only reason Julie was still here was to talk to Marissa, so she was very happy that Ryan had organised for the meeting to happen in private. "Um…" she looked at them all. "I think that's probably for the best. I'll just go out there and wait for her." She said as she made her way to the door.

"Don't think I'm finished with you yet." Summer called after her as Julie headed out to the pool house.

---

As Julie entered the pool house she went to close the door behind her but then decided to leave it open thinking perhaps it would seem more inviting to Marissa. She would close it after Marissa arrived. She looked around and realised that it hadn't changed since she had last been there. She remembered coming here to ask Ryan to help her when Marissa was going through her 'Alex' phase and Julie had wanted Marissa to come home. Of course he had helped her then. She realised that he always had and always would be there for Marissa. She glanced around at the numerous photos of the two of them still scattered around the pool house. They looked so happy. She moved about the room looking at each photo in turn and came across one taken at the beach. Ryan had his arm around her and Marissa was looking at him; the love obvious in her eyes. Julie touched the glass and ran her hand over Marissa's smile. Had she always looked like that when she was with him and had Julie just ignored the way they felt about each other because it didn't fit in with her own grand plan? She wondered how she was ever going to explain to Marissa why her own mother would want to take that happiness away from her.

---

Ryan and Marissa were on their way to the Cohen's and Ryan was starting to have some misgivings about the whole idea. Even though Marissa had agreed to it, he felt that she was doing it only because she wanted to please him. Ever since she had said yes to the idea, he had noticed her becoming more and more anxious. That was why, when she had gone to freshen up just before they'd left his house, he had hurriedly called Kirsten and asked her to get Julie into the pool house before they got there. He figured that at least that way Marissa could see everyone else and know that they were all there for her, before she had to confront her mother. Maybe she could gain some strength from having them all with her. She would be able to decide when she wanted to talk to her mum. Marissa would then be the one in control.

He glanced over at her again and she was looking out the window at the passing scenery and she was fiddling with her ring yet again.

He smiled. "Are you trying to wear that out so that I'll buy you a bigger and better one?"

She looked at him puzzled. "Sorry what?"

"Your ring? You haven't stopped fiddling with it since we left home."

She looked down and realised what he was talking about. "Sorry. I guess…" she smiled "It gives me strength…" She looked back at him trying to express how much it meant to her. It had become her crutch whenever she was thinking about Julie. "I guess I just like the feel of it."

"Good. Maybe we can add a couple of others to those fingers soon?" he suggested never taking his eyes from the road. As soon as he said it he wondered where those words had come from.

Marissa was startled. She turned to look at him. "What? … I mean…" she watched him as he never took his eyes off the road. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

He smiled, still looking at the road ahead. Did he really just say that out loud? "You know what I mean." He glanced over at her and smiled and then resumed looking at the road. Now that the words were out there, he realised that he would like nothing more.

"I'm not sure if I do. Maybe I've misunderstood." Marissa replied still in shock. Was he suggesting what she thought he was? A few more blocks passed in silence until finally Ryan spoke again.

"I don't think you have. But we're nearly there. I guess this isn't the best time to talk about it." He said as he pulled into the driveway of the Cohen's. He noticed her shoulders drop as if she was disappointed. He didn't know if it was because they had arrived or because he had stopped the discussion. But for some reason he decided that even though it may not make sense right now he wanted her to know how he felt. Maybe it would help her get through the day. He turned to her and took her hands in his and looked in to her eyes. "I just want you to know before we go inside that no matter what happens with your mother, I love you. And I want you beside me forever. I just thought maybe we need to make this arrangement more permanent, and then you won't need to think about the possibility of your mother ever causing problems for us again."

Marissa looked deeply in to his eyes. Realising he was serious, she could feel her eyes starting to well up. "Are… are you asking me to marry you?"

"Well…." Ryan looked at the ring on her finger and then back into her eyes. "I guess I hadn't really thought about it until we were driving here. And I know this isn't very romantic, and I don't want you to look back and be disappointed but…" he shrugged almost coyly "yeah I guess I am. I do know that I want you as my wife. I always have. Since the first time I met you at the end of this very driveway." He looked at her shyly wondering if she had realised just how long he had loved her. "So if you'll have me, Marissa Cooper… would you do me the honour of consenting to be my wife?"

The tears that were welling in Marissa's eyes made the vision of him before her eyes all blurry but even so, she knew that she wanted to be with him forever. But was this for real? Her emotions that were already in turmoil at the thought of the meeting with her mum threatened to boil over. As the tears escaped her eyes and began to trickle down her face she tried to speak but couldn't. The lump in her throat was too big. Nothing would come out. He looked at her and watched as the tears started running down her face. Was she happy or sad? He couldn't tell. He was getting concerned that she was not answering.

He dropped his head. Looking at her hands as they gripped his he added "If it's too soon then just say. I know I'm probably rushing things. And I…." Ryan started.

Marissa was nodding her head furiously but Ryan was no longer looking at her.

"No." she managed to get out.

"No?" Ryan looked back up at her as he felt his heart start to break.


	42. Marissa's reply

**Marissa's reply**

"No not no. I mean yes, I'll marry you. No … you're not rushing things." Marissa added quickly, realising that he had misinterpreted what she'd said.

"Really?" He smiled almost scared to believe what she was saying.

"Really." She lent in and proceeded to kiss him with all the love she possessed, leaving him in no doubt.

He pulled back gasping for air and wiped the tears from her face. He laughed. "I bet you always imagined this would be more romantic."

"It feels pretty romantic to me. I imagined it with you. That's all that matters. And it is romantic to bring me to where we first met to propose." She replied.

"Even if it's on a driveway?" Ryan smiled.

"Uh huh. It's a special driveway. Not any driveway would have done." Marissa felt like her heart would burst.

Ryan smiled. He felt like he was flying. "Okay….then. Future Mrs Atwood. Are you ready to go inside?"

"Not really but I guess the sooner we do, the sooner we can go home and celebrate our engagement." She suggested.

"Mmmm. How do you suggest we celebrate?" Ryan asked. Then all of a sudden something flashed into this brain. "Uhoh" Ryan looked panic stricken.

"What?" Marissa asked wondering what was wrong. Had he changed his mind or something?

"Seth?"

"What about Seth" she asked.

"Um…I sort of promised him that I wouldn't get engaged before he got around to asking Summer. I mean everyone knows they will get married, he's even had the ring for a couple of months now but he has been trying to come up with some grand romantic gesture and he will ask her then. I think he might kill me if we go in there and tell them our news."

Marissa smiled. "Well, why don't we just keep it to ourselves until Seth does the deed. Hopefully it won't be too far away. Maybe we can even give him some ideas."

"You'd do that?" Ryan smiled at her. Loving the fact that she was prepared to put Seth and Summer's happiness before her own.

"If the alternative is that my fiancé could be killed by his brother then definitely yes." As soon as she said it, Marissa was reminded of Trey and wished she could take back the words. She felt the colour drain from her face.

Ryan obviously hadn't made the connection thank goodness. He thought her sudden change of tone was because she knew she was about to see Julie again. "Okay" he leant in and kissed her again. "It'll be our secret... at least for now. But soon… very soon...I want the world to know."

They got out of the car and Ryan took her hand and they made it to the front door. He could see how nervous Marissa was. "You don't have to worry. I asked Kirsten to make Julie wait in the pool house. You don't have to talk to her until you're ready."

Marissa looked at him and realised that he really was trying to make this as easy as possible for her. She closed the gap and kissed him. "Thank you."

Ryan smiled and rang the door bell. While they were waiting for someone to answer it he squeezed her hand and smiled at her. "We'll get through this together."

Marissa nodded trying to convince herself that he was right.

Sandy opened the door. "Marissa, Ryan. Come on through. Everyone is in the kitchen."

Marissa pulled back realising she was not ready to see her mother.

Sandy noticed and added. "Sorry, not Julie. She's in the pool house. Everyone ELSE is in the kitchen." He smiled trying to give Marissa some reassurance.

She tried to smile but felt it was more of a grimace. Even though Julie was in the pool house Marissa knew she was getting closer. She began to feel nauseous as the anxiety turned to knots in her stomach. She got to the door of the kitchen and was immediately engulfed in a hug from Summer.

"Coop. Thank goodness you're here. I've been waiting to see what you got from Chino on Friday." She grabbed Marissa's hand to inspect the ring. "Oh my god…. It's beautiful. I can't believe you didn't drop by and show me…. obviously you were too busy 'thanking him'." Summer said, using her fingers as quotes to tease Marissa. She had obviously forgotten where she was.

Marissa could feel herself blush bright red at Summer's words. She remembered exactly how she had been 'thanking' Ryan on Friday night, starting with the session in the lift on the way home and she felt herself burning up. She looked at him and realised that he was a bit flushed as well but when their eyes met he smiled and then started to chuckle as he looked at the other eyes in the room all watching them. He took Marissa in his arms, and as he started to laugh, they all joined in. Marissa couldn't believe that she was standing in her future parents-in-law's kitchen with everyone she held dear and they were all thinking about….she didn't know exactly what they were all thinking, but suffice to say she doubted it was G rated. She buried her head in to Ryan's shoulder not wanting to make eye contact with anyone but him and mumbled to Summer "I can't believe you said that."

"Oops. Maybe I forgot where we were." She shrugged. "But does it really matter. We all know what you two have been up to. You can't go the blushing virgin on us now."

"Summer…do you mind?" Marissa exclaimed.

"No not at all. But obviously you do." She replied. Marissa glared at Seth who instantly tried to stop laughing. Seeing her discomfit, he was doing everything in his power to not join in but it was killing him.

"Don't look at me. I have no control over her." He laughed as soon as he opened his mouth. "And as for Ryan" Seth looked at Ryan figuring he could take some of the heat off Marissa by giving his brother a hard time. "Well… we all know what he's like. Or at least what he's been like since you came back. Before then he had such a drought to make up for, it's surprising he has even let you come up for air."

Marissa thought back to her activities that morning and could have died of embarrassment. Surely now everyone would know what she had been doing to Ryan under the sheets.

Seth's good intentions seemed to have backfired as he noticed Marissa turning even redder, she had obviously spent quite a bit of time 'down under' and he didn't mean Australia. Plus now Ryan was glaring at him too. What could he do? He thought quickly. "But of course what chance did he have when he has mum and dad around all the time as role models. You know what they are like. Can't keep their hands to themselves."

Sandy laughed. "As I've told you before son…Your mum's a hottie and I've got her." He said as he pulled Kirsten into a tight hug.

Summer realised that she and Seth were the only two not in a hug. "Cohen?"

"What?" he turned to her.

"Come here. I don't want to be the only one missing out." Summer pouted as Seth moved over to her.

"My little sugar plum… I promise you'll never miss out." He said as he made his way around the kitchen to give her a hug. As he reached her Seth took her in his arms and then turned and looked at the other two couples. "I'm feeling that the Fantastic Four may have just become the Super Six. I think that mum and dad can be honorary members since they have been such wonderful role models."

Sandy smiled. "I'm sure we're truly honoured Seth."

"You do realise that I'm talking about, as far as, showing us how to get it on." Seth added.

Kirsten looked horrified. "Seth. I think you have gone far enough."

"What? Are you saying mother that a hug is all I'm allowed in the kitchen. I've caught you two going a hell of a lot further." He smiled teasing them both.

"Seth. You really should stop now before you get disinherited." Kirsten added and then turned her back on him to prove that as far as she was concerned that topic was over. "Now Marissa, may I have a look at your ring please?" she glared at Seth as she moved over and raised Marissa's hand to get a better look. "It really is lovely." She looked at Marissa. "I gather this is the ring that they mentioned in the paper this morning. Your mother said she didn't remember you ever having one like it." As soon as she said it, Kirsten realised that she had broken the mood of the room. For a couple of minutes they had managed to put the thought of Julie out of their minds and had just all enjoyed being together. But the magic was now broken. Kirsten wished she could take back her words.

"The paper?" Ryan asked, wanting to break the silence that had engulfed the room since Julie's name had been mentioned.

"Um yes…page 3, I think." Kirsten added as Ryan pulled Marissa over to the table to look at the paper lying there.

He glanced down at the photos and then smiled as he read the heading. 'ARE THEY LOOKING TO MAKE IT PERMANENT?' He glanced at Marissa to make sure that she was reading it as well. His smile met hers as they silently thought about their secret. "Those paparazzi are pretty clever. Aren't they?" Ryan said looking at Marissa. She smiled knowing exactly what he was talking about.

"I don't know about clever?" Sandy said. "Since when do you need to be clever to take a couple of photos of you two walking around a mall. It doesn't look like you were trying to hide or anything."

"Maybe you're right." Ryan smiled and pulled Marissa back into his arms.

"So…" he looked at Marissa and held her tightly knowing that she needed him to help her get through this. He could feel her start to tremble slightly as he held her and he was pretty sure that it was nothing to do with their connection but all to do with her mother. "How do you want to do this?"

---

Marissa looked at Ryan and he could see that she was barely holding on. All the humour of a minute ago had been lost. She started to shake her head.

"If you'd like, I'll be your right hand man… or woman?" Summer stated. "I guess Ryan could be the man." She was trying to let Marissa know that she was there to lend her support. "You know, like if you're going off in to battle and you need someone beside you."

"I think that's called a second." Seth said.

"Yeah. That's it." She looked back at Marissa trying to reassure her. "Or if you want Ryan as your second, then I'll be your third." Summer added.

Marissa looked at Summer and tried to smile to convey her thanks. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes and she didn't know how she was going to manage.

Ryan looked at them all as he held Marissa tightly to him. He could feel her slender body trembling beneath his hands. "Maybe you could just give us a moment alone. If you don't mind?" he asked.

"Sure. We'll be in the lounge room." Sandy said and started to herd them all in before him. He got to the door and turned. "Marissa. Just so you know. We are all here for you. What ever you want to do is fine by us." She nodded and he turned and followed the others from the room.

"So." Ryan tilted her head and kissed her lovingly. "What's going through that head of yours?"

"I don't think I can do this." She looked at him the tears starting to escape her eyes.

"But Ris. Didn't we go through this at home? If you want I can come with you? Julie can't do anything to us anymore."

"No Ryan." She shook her head. "I can't do it… I'm sorry…. You know I didn't want to have anything to do with her in the first place. But I could see that you wanted me to, so I thought I'd try… just for you… but… I just can't."

"But I'll be right there with you. This might be the only chance you have…"

"Don't you understand? I don't want a chance." Marissa said raising her voice to try to make Ryan understand. "You may have been prepared to give her a go but I don't want to and as Sandy said I certainly don't have to. You say that we were both hurt. But I don't think you really realise what I went through."

"Ris. We were both broken hearted. There's no question about that." Ryan stated.

"Yeah. But let me tell you, what I went through and what you went through were vastly different." She looked him in the eyes trying to make him understand. "You had all those people in there supporting you." She indicated the lounge room. "They're wonderful people and they love you. Even Summer. If you needed someone to talk to…and before you say anything…I know you …you probably didn't talk to anyone. But still, you knew if you wanted to, that any one of them would have been there for you. They would have understood and helped you and done anything they could to help you feel better and get over me. I don't care how you were feeling you always knew that they were always going to be there for you. That's because they love you. You never had to question that. They were like your safety net."

Ryan looked towards the lounge room starting to realise just how much different it had been for Marissa. He went to reach for Marissa but she pushed his hands away.

"But...I…HAD...NO…ONE." Marissa's voice was getting louder and louder as she tried to get her message through. "NO… ONE. The only person I had was… her." She motioned towards the pool house as she spat out the word. "I was in a different country with no friends, and because of her I thought that you had replaced me in your life with someone you liked more…… I was devastated…broken. The only person I had to talk to was her and I knew I couldn't do that because all she did was tell me how much better off I was without you. And I knew that wasn't the case. I knew that I would never find anyone else that I could love, like I loved you. So I had to try to come to terms with the fact that I would have to spend my life without you…."

"But Ris.." Ryan tried to interrupt.

But Marissa was almost hysterical by this point. "I even contemplated suicide, I was so alone… it seemed liked the easiest way out." Marissa looked back at Ryan hoping he could see just how hard it had been.

Ryan felt like he had been slapped. He had no idea just how hard Marissa had taken it. He thought back to what he was like. The partying, the sleeping around. Definitely not his finest hour, but she was right. Even though they couldn't help much, he had always known that Seth and Summer and Sandy and Kirsten would have done anything for him, if he had thought that it would help. He would have only had to ask.

Marissa looked at him and started to speak again. "And the whole reason for that was because of her lies. How can she call herself a mother if she could do that to me? And then to watch me as I went through years of depression, all because of her. She had it in her power to cure my depression. It only existed because of her lies. And she chose not to." Marissa was so angry. She knew the anger was at her mother but the fact was, Ryan was right in front of her and he was trying to make her face Julie. And that made Marissa lash out at him. "I hate her for what she has done. And I can never forgive her."

"I'm not asking you to forgive her but maybe if you just give her a chance to explain…"

"Don't you understand? I can't." Marissa yelled at him.

"Can't or won't?" Ryan asked. He realised that she had been through a much tougher time than he had, but he still thought that she should at least talk to her mother. She had to deal with it sometime.

"Ryan it doesn't really matter because I'm not doing it." Marissa gritted her teeth. "I hate her for what she has done. As far as I'm concerned she can go and rot in hell. Because that is what she put me through." Marissa was almost screaming by this point. She started to move through the kitchen headed for the front door. She turned and yelled back at him "As far as I'm concerned MY MOTHER IS DEAD."

Ryan stood stunned for a moment and then turned and followed her through the lounge as she fled out the door. He hesitated and looked at his family standing stunned in the lounge room. "I'm sorry. Tell Julie…. I don't know. Tell her what ever you like."

"It's okay son. Just go. We'll sort out Julie. You go and look after Marissa." Sandy called out as Ryan went out the door.

As Ryan closed the door he heard Summer say. "You bet we'll sort out Julie."


	43. Julie's regrets

_Okay - so you guys are definitely getting the hang of this reviewing quickly thing. I'm guessing that you want more story so here it is. Enjoy!_

**Julie's regrets**

Julie sat in the pool house. She wished she had closed the doors because then she wouldn't have been able to hear Marissa yelling at Ryan. As it was, she had heard everything that Marissa had said. And what was worse was ... that she couldn't disagree with any of it. Marissa was right. Julie had lied to break them up and every time that Marissa had tried to talk to her about Ryan she had just dismissed it and told her that she was better off without him. She shook her head. Who would have thought that after everything she had said about and done to him, that it would have been Ryan trying to get her daughter to give her a second chance.

She had wanted to go to Marissa once she had heard her arrive but when she had peaked out of the door of the pool house she had seen the three couples all together in the kitchen, hugging, and laughing. Julie knew she would not have been welcome in there. She was not included. She had never really been a part of this family, of this community. She had always been the outsider, that had to try hard to fit in and she had tried everything…But she had always felt like she was just a visitor that they were tolerating. She knew if she slipped up then she would be out on her ear in no time. Just like what happened when Caleb died and Jimmy left….. But they had accepted Ryan. So why not her? She didn't want to consider that maybe the reason she hadn't been accepted fully in to the community was really about what sort of person she was and not about where she came from. That was just too hard to contemplate.

She sat back down on the bed realising that she was now being jealous of Ryan as well as Marissa. She knew she had to get over it but she didn't know how to do it. Especially since it looked like she would have to do it without Marissa's help. She leant over and picked up a photo of Marissa that was on the bedside table. Marissa's last words replayed over and over again in her mind. "As far as I'm concerned my mother is dead." She could feel the tears welling in her eyes but she knew she couldn't let them start or she might never stop. As she remembered all that Marissa had said she felt herself begin to lose control and she rolled over and dropped onto the bed sobbing… knowing she has lost her daughter forever.

Kirsten made her way out to the pool house. Julie was lying on the bed almost hysterically sobbing in to the pillow; a photo of Marissa discarded on the bed beside her. Kirsten was worried whether Julie could even breathe she was holding the pillow so tightly obviously not wanting anyone to know what a mess she was.

Kirsten stood there silently and waited until Julie's sobs started to subside. "Are you all right?" she asked.

Julie nodded her head but kept it hidden in the pillow.

"I guess you must know she's gone?"

Julie nodded again. New sobs wracking her body. She felt like her world had ended.

Even though Kirsten was still angry at Julie she started to feel sorry for her. She could see that in Julie's own warped way she obviously loved Marissa. She could only imagine what it would be like to hear your child say those things about you. Not that Julie didn't deserve it. Kirsten understood the fact that Marissa had been hurt more than they could possibly imagine and she respected Marissa's choice to not talk to her mother. She didn't know what she would have done if she had been in the same situation. Kirsten had never gotten on very well with Caleb but she didn't think even he would have let Kirsten go through such a tough time if he'd had the power to fix it. At least that's what she would like to think.

Kirsten sat down on the bed beside Julie and touched her lightly on the back. "Can I get you anything?"

"Tis…sues." she muttered in between her sobs.

Kirsten went and got a box from the bathroom and placed them beside Julie. "Anything else?"

"No" she shook her head. "I just want… to be left alone."

"Okay. I'll be in the kitchen if you want anything." Kirsten turned and left Julie to her misery.

When Kirsten walked back in to the kitchen she was greeted by Seth. "Well since there are now two less for lunch I guess that means there is more for me."

"Seth...You know I could always get rid of another one?" Summer asked "Or two?" she added looking outside.

"What ever are you talking about my little pumpkin?" Seth asked as he went to take Summer in his arms.

She pushed him away. "If you keep that up then you could move to the top of my elimination list, a position, which at the moment, is being held by Julie." She glared out at the pool house. "I'd really like to go a give her a piece of my mind."

"I don't think I'd worry right now Summer. I'm guessing that nothing you could say could make her feel worse than she does at the moment. She's a mess. She obviously had the doors open and heard every word."

"Oh… well way to go Coop. It's about time Julie realised just what she did." Summer added finding it impossible to feel sorry for Julie.

"I think maybe that she finally does." Kirsten added.

"She's evil. I hope she hops on her broom and flies away." Summer stated.

"Enough of all this. On to the important things like, when's lunch mother? Or did you get us here under false pretences. I only came because I thought you were going to feed me." Seth said.

"Cohen if you don't shut it. I'll feed you…to the wolves." Summer glared at him. "Can't you see there are more important things to worry about right now than your stomach."

Sandy walked back into the kitchen having seen Ryan and Marissa off. He looked at Kirsten. "How is she?" he asked looking out at the pool house.

Kirsten shrugged. "She'll live."

"Does she know?" Sandy asked.

"Oh yeah…The doors were wide open. I guess she must have left them like that and from the state she's in, I'd say she heard just about everything." Kirsten added. "But more importantly, how's Marissa?"

Sandy raised his eyebrows. "I'm not sure. I think Ryan might have his work cut out for him. I don't think any of us had realised just what it must have been like for Marissa. She's right. Even though Ryan was heart broken he did know we cared about him and what he was going through and that we were here to support him…. She obviously had no one."

"Yeah. But she's got Ryan now. And he'll get her through this." Kirsten said believing her son had super powers and knowing he might need to use all of them, to make this better.

"Yeah. Kid Chino to the rescue." Seth added.

"I just hope your right." Summer said. "But she's got me as well…and Cohen." Summer rolled her eyes. "Although I'm not sure just how much help he is."

"Ouch. Don't say that. It's just that I'm hungry. I do my best work on a full stomach." Seth replied.

"Okay then. Set the table and we'll have some lunch." Kirsten said to Seth. "If only, to keep you quiet."

Seth moved over to the table and went to close the paper to clear it off the table. He looked down at the photos on the page. "They look so happy together here. It's hard to imagine what they went through when they were apart."

Sandy joined him at the table and looked down at the photo. "Let's just hope it's not too long until we see them back like that again."


	44. Marissa's retreat

_So it doesn't seem like there is too much compassion out there for Julie. LOL Which I guess I expected. I hope you're all happy with the way things are going. _

_Anyhow next chapter coming up. Enjoy!_

**Marissa's retreat**

Ryan pulled out of the driveway and started off on the road to home. Marissa had calmed down a little and was staring out the window. But he could see that she had tears silently running down her face.

"Ris. It's all right. We are going home. You don't have to see her." He tried to reassure her.

"I know."

"We'll just go back to the house and have a quiet lunch. Just the two of us. Then we can do what ever you want. Watch a movie or go for a walk on the beach. Maybe go visit the diner? Anything you like." Ryan suggested.

"I want to go back to LA." Marissa said. Her voice was so…flat. It was as if she had removed all the emotion from it.

"Yeah….we will… tonight." Ryan was hoping that they could spend some time together and re-establish the feelings of togetherness that seemed to have disappeared so suddenly.

"No now." She said quietly but firmly.

He didn't like the lack of emotion in her voice. It scared him more than when she was yelling at him. It seemed the only way she was coping was to turn off all her feelings. Good and bad.

"But I thought you liked it here at Newport?" he asked.

"Not when my mother is here. I want to put as much distance as possible between us." she explained.

Ryan was silent.

Marissa continued. "If you don't want to go back yet then I'll get a cab or something. I can't stay here. I know you probably think I'm some sort of loony for the way I acted back there and I'm sorry… but knowing she was close just brought it all back to me. The loneliness, the hopelessness, the feelings of abandonment that I went through, I couldn't do it."

"It's okay." Ryan assured her.

"If you want to rethink our discussion on the way there, then I'll understand." She looked out of the window. She knew if she looked at him then she would come undone. "I know that wasn't exactly my finest hour."

Ryan turned the last corner to his house and waited for the garage doors to open. When he had stopped the car he turned to her and said. "Nothing has changed for me. Exactly as I said to you earlier, nothing your mother could say or do could ever change the way I feel about you."

"But that's just it. It wasn't anything she did. It was me that went through the meltdown and started screaming at you like a shrew. I'll understand if you don't want anything more to do with me."

"Ris..." he shook his head starting to feel frustrated with saying the same thing over and over again but then he remembered just how alone Marissa had been and how insecure she was obviously feeling. He picked up her hand and twisted the ring around her finger. "Do you remember what this is?"

She looked down and nodded. "It's a promise ring."

"Not just A promise ring. It's MY promise ring… to you. I thought I'd made myself clear when I bought it. I don't make promises lightly. I see them through. So unless you've had a change of heart then everything is as it was before we left here this morning."

"So the conversation in the car on the way there doesn't count anymore?" She asked.

Ryan smiled. "Oh it counts alright. Don't think you can get out if it. You said yes and I'm holding you to that."

"Are you sure you still want to. After seeing me totally lose it back there. Your family will all think I should be locked up like my mother wanted to do after Tijuana."

"No "our' family will just be disappointed that they weren't able to be there for you to help you through the last few years when you've had to manage by yourself. I think I probably needed something like this to fully appreciate just how strong you really are…. I don't think I could have managed without them, when I thought you had ditched me and moved on. You were right. I didn't talk to them but I always knew if I needed them they would have done anything for me. I can't imagine how you got through it on your own."

"I wasn't just on my own. I had my shrink and my little blue pills. Without them I don't think I could have done it."

"Well maybe I'll have to thank Julie sometime for getting you to go to the shrink. At least he helped you get through everything so that we have gotten to where we are now. And if I remember correctly, you have promised to marry me."

Marissa tried to smile and nodded. "I love you."

"I love you to."

"But I still want to go back to LA. I want to put as much space between me and her as possible. Can we just grab our things and go now?"

"Sure. If that's what you want. Just give me 10 minutes and the LA express will be on the way."

---

Marissa was quiet on the way back to LA. At first, Ryan thought she had fallen asleep but then he realised that she was still playing with her ring. Obviously she wanted to appear to be asleep so she didn't have to talk. Ryan didn't know what he could say or do to make things right between them. Even though they had spoken about what had happened he knew that some part of him was disappointed that he hadn't been able to convince Marissa to talk to Julie.

He wanted the Julie issue over and done with and he was concerned that by leaving, Marissa was just running away and that at some time in the future this would come back to haunt them. He knew that it had created a distance between them and try as he may he couldn't think of how to get rid of it.

When they got back to the apartment building, they made their way up from the car park in the penthouse's private lift. The silence between them was almost deafening. Ryan couldn't help but remember that the last time they were in that lift was on the way home from Tiffany's on Friday afternoon when they'd bought the promise ring and they hadn't been able to keep their hands off one another. Hard to imagine that he had removed her g string and had fingered her in the corner of this very same lift only 2 days before and now they couldn't even find anything to say to one another.

As they entered the apartment Marissa started to move towards the bedroom. "I'm going to take a shower." She stated.

Ryan looked at her wondering if he should offer to join her or not.

Marissa looked back at him knowing exactly what was going through his mind. "I think I'd just like to be alone. I've got a lot on my mind right now."

Ryan nodded. He was disappointed and yet he did understand that she had a lot to deal with. "Why don't you have a bath? Maybe a nice long soak will make things seem better?"

She gave him a small smile "Thanks. I think I might just do that." She hesitated. "What will you do?"

He wondered if she was concerned that he would come and want to join her. But he could see she wanted her space, at least for the moment. He hoped that 'the moment' was all it was for and that they would be able to get passed all this. "Um…There's a football game on I might watch. Would you like something to eat? Maybe I'll order some pizza…. Pizza, beer, football… sounds like a regular Sunday afternoon." He shrugged his shoulders hoping she would want to join him when she had finished with her bath.

"You go right ahead. I'm not hungry." Marissa turned and made her way into the bedroom leaving Ryan watching her receding figure.


	45. Footy fans

**Footy fans**

Ryan ordered a large pizza and sat in front of the TV, drinking a beer. He fluctuated between trying to think of a way to remove this distance that seemed to have come between them, and trying to concentrate on the football game just to give his poor mind a rest. It seemed to have been going around in circles ever since Marissa had exploded on him at the Cohen's. He now had some idea of just what she had been through when they were apart and he felt terrible about it.

He just wished that Julie had never interfered and broken them up in the first place. But then he also regretted not having had more faith in what he and Marissa had together. He should never have believed Julie when she had met him at the airport in New York. He should have known that Marissa wouldn't do that to him. He somehow felt that his lack of confidence in their relationship had enabled all this to happen. But the fact was that even now, he didn't think that he was good enough for Marissa.

Sure he may be successful and have plenty of money….. but she knew about his background…. where he came from …. what his family were like and the mistakes he had made along the way…juvie…Theresa…. He had always felt that she could do better…..that was why it had been so easy for Julie to split them up.

At the time, he was a student who was making ends meet. Everything he had he owed to Sandy and Kirsten. He was so dependant on them and yet Marissa was successful in her own right. She had made a career for herself and was even looking after her mother….surely it wasn't surprising that he had felt so unworthy of her. What was amazing was the fact that it seemed as if she had loved him anyhow.

But he didn't understand why she seemed to be pushing him away now. He wanted their closeness of that morning to come back. He had asked her to marry him and she had said yes, he just hoped that she wouldn't change her mind after all that had happened. He knew Marissa was very fragile right now and he didn't want to do something that would make things worse. So maybe he was better off not doing anything and just giving her time to deal with it all on her own. But how would he know if being on her own was what she really wanted. Maybe she wanted him to try harder. How could he tell?

He stood up from the lounge and moved towards the bedroom intending to try to get her to talk to him. But as he neared the door he hesitated. She had asked for some time on her own to think things through and he knew he should respect that. He was just concerned that she might not come to the conclusions that he wanted her too. He didn't know what he would do if she decided that she needed some time away from him because he had been the cause of the depression that she had been through. He started to panic at the thought of life without her.

While he stood there undecided about what to do the buzzer sounded and the pizza arrived. After paying the delivery boy he grabbed another beer from the fridge and sat down in front of the television to eat.

But somewhere along the line it seemed that his appetite had disappeared. He ate one piece and then pushed it away and continued to try to concentrate on the TV.

---

Marissa stayed in the tub until the water was barely warm and her fingers had completely wrinkled. She kept running things over in her mind remembering all that she had been through when she had thought that Ryan had stopped loving her. She didn't ever want to be like that again. She laid in the bath and played with her ring and decided that she was not going to let her mother win.

Ryan had done everything he could for her today, to try to make things easy for her. She realised that she should not have taken it out on him because of the issues she had with her mother. Not only did she want to make it up to him but she needed to. They had agreed to get married this morning and even though it may not be an official engagement just yet she wanted to celebrate with him and if that meant pizza, beer and football then so be it. She shouldn't have pushed him away like she did. But she was still so used to having to cope with things by herself that it had seemed the only thing to do.

She got out of the bath and dried herself off and then walked into the bedroom to find something to wear. As she looked around her wardrobe she realised that she really was feeling much better. She was with Ryan now and Julie was no longer part of her life as far as she was concerned. She knew that she and Ryan would always have different opinions about that…. but the important thing was that Julie would not ever come between them again. And they both agreed on that so surely that was more important than anything that happened in the past. She needed to concentrate on the future. They would find a way to deal with Julie. As long as they were together everything would work out in the long run.

She smiled to herself as a little idea came into her mind. She really wasn't much of a football fan so maybe she could make the game more 'interesting.' She picked up one of his sweat shirts and put it on with nothing underneath, then moved to the dresser and sprayed some of her favourite perfume on in all the right places. She decided she wouldn't bother with any more clothes because if things went according to plan… she wouldn't be needing them for long.

---

Marissa made her way in to the lounge room and walked up behind the sofa where Ryan was sitting watching the TV. He was in the same spot that Annabel had been in on Friday night. Thinking about Annabel just made Marissa all the more certain that she wanted to work things out with Ryan before he returned to work tomorrow. The last thing she needed was for Annabel to think she had a chance with Ryan again because he and Marissa were having problems. She walked up directly behind him so he couldn't see what she was wearing and lightly placed her hands on his neck and gently started to massage it.

Ryan jumped when he first felt her hands on him and he tried to turn to look at her "I didn't hear you come in."

"That's okay. Just keep watching the game. You're so tight, I think a little massage might do you good." She said as she worked her fingers in to the tight muscles at the base of his neck and then moved her hands out, to slowly work her way to his shoulders.

"Aaah... That feels so good." Ryan said. He moved his neck from side to side. "I hadn't realised how stiff I was."

Marissa couldn't help but think of getting other parts of him stiff besides his neck but she replied. "Mmm….probably a bit of tension or something?" stating the obvious after her meltdown on him earlier.

"Maybe. But you don't have to do that." He said. "Do you want some pizza?"

"No. I just want you to keep still….and quiet. Just keep watching the football and pretend I'm not here." Marissa replied as she continued to massage his neck and shoulders.

"Mmm. Okay. I can do that." Ryan replied enjoying the feeling of Marissa's hands on him after the distance he had felt between them ever since they had left Newport.

Marissa smiled and moved closer to the back of the sofa so she could run her hands over the top of Ryan's shoulders and down over his pecs and biceps. She began to massage them and noticed she could see his tiny nipples come erect thru the soft fabric of the t shirt he was wearing and she smiled knowing that his body was responding to her. So far so good. She worked on his muscles for a few more minutes and then slowly moved her hands lower, running them over his rock hard abs, one arm either side of his head. As her fingers started to trace along the top of his jeans she ran her tongue around his ear and noticed he had his eyes closed, obviously intent on the feelings that she was evoking in his body. She whispered "Is it a good game?"

Ryan was startled out of his trance. He opened his eyes and looked at the screen only to realise that his team had just scored a touchdown and he had missed it entirely. "Ah yeah. Great." He smiled.

Marissa laughed. "You just concentrate on the replay or you'll miss it too." Ryan smiled and nodded and then turned his attention to the screen. Marissa took the opportunity to move around to the front of the sofa and sit on his lap with her back to him, pretending she was intensely interested in what was happening on the TV.

Ryan realised that she was wearing his sweat shirt and he wasn't sure whether she had anything on underneath or not. He immediately moved his hands to her, wanting to find out.

"Uh uh" Marissa said as she took one hand in each of hers and put them on the sofa on either side of him. "Watch the replay. Remember …. You're pretending I'm not here." She looked back at the TV and started to move her hips grinding herself in to his crotch as she pretended to watch the TV too. She could feel him getting hard beneath her as his body responded to her little lap dance. What she hadn't figured on was just how much she would be turned on by what she was doing. She could feel his hardness straining to be released. She stood up and quickly removed his jeans and boxers and as Ryan went to reach for her she said "Uh uh. Just watch the TV. Remember?" she turned back to look at the TV and moved back to his lap; this time lowering herself on to his hardness. "Ohhh." She gasped as she felt him fill her. For some reason at this angle he felt twice the size.

Ryan didn't need to wonder anymore about whether she had anything on underneath or not. He thought his brain was about to explode along with other parts of his body. Marissa started to move herself on top of him. Starting slowly, moving up and down she could feel him hit her g spot again and again. The feeling was amazing. She'd never tried this position before and she had thought that it might be nice for Ryan. But forget about Ryan, she knew she was losing control. She didn't know just how long she could last as the feelings of ecstasy threatened to engulf her. Ryan could sense how excited she was and how close she was to climaxing. He reached his hands under the sweat shirt and around in front of her and began to massage her breasts while continuing to thrust in to her as he met her in her rhythmic motion.

"R..Y..AN!" Marissa screamed as she felt the explosion erupt within her and the waves of pleasure flow over her.

"Aargh…" Ryan went over the edge just after her and he held her to him as he shuddered inside her, over and over as the waves of his orgasm flooded over him.

They both sat there panting.

When Marissa had regained some control she gasped. "I'm not sure who enjoyed that most. I thought I was doing it for you but…"

Ryan couldn't help but smile, noticing her flushed face. "You did look like you enjoyed it." It was obvious she still had not returned back to normal. "I'm guessing the bath had the desired effect?"

"What effect was that?" she asked.

"I was going to say relaxed, but I'm not exactly sure if that's the word. But … I think from now on, no more showers for you. Baths only, if this is what it does to you." He smiled as she went to lean back against his chest.

"Ah." He said in pain. "I don't think you should do that. I'm not sure that I bend at quite that angle."

"Sorry." Marissa said as she gently got off him and sat back down on his lap. "Now what are the rules of this game? Maybe I could get to like it." She suggested looking back at the screen in front of her.

"I'd rather hear the rules of your game. I know I like that." Ryan said as he pulled her to him his mouth finding hers in a passionate kiss.

---

Ryan went and got a light rug from the linen cupboard and they curled up together on the lounge and watched the end of the football and then a movie after that. Neither had bothered to put back on their clothes and every so often when one or the other got bored with what was on TV they would start a make out session that always seemed to have the same ending. Marissa was the instigator whilst the football was on and then when the movie started it was Ryan who was spending more time 'playing' than watching. It was a mutually agreeable situation.

After one particularly strenuous make out session Marissa turned to Ryan. "I seem to have quite an appetite now. Perhaps we should heat up that pizza."

"Mmm. Good idea. I seem to be hungry now too….maybe it's because of all the energy we've used?" Ryan asked … thinking that it was probably more to do with the fact that the distance between them seemed to have evaporated; both emotionally and physically. He knew that had been the reason he wasn't hungry earlier and he suspected it was the same for her.

"Maybe." Marissa was thinking exactly the same as Ryan. "You know, this may not be the normal way to celebrate an engagement but it works for me."

"Me too. I always thought those public announcements were a little over done. I can't imagine anything being better than this." Ryan moved in and kissed her again letting his tongue dance with hers knowing he could never get enough of her.

As they started to slide off the couch onto the rug for the umpteenth time Marissa pulled back and asked. "You don't think we're over doing this do you? I'd hate for you to get tired of me."

"Uh uh" Ryan said between kisses as his hand started to move over Marissa's body yet again. "Not possible." Ryan moved his head down and took one nipple in his mouth and started to flick it with his tongue as the phone rang.

"Leave it." Marissa said not wanting Ryan to stop what he was doing.

Ryan looked over at the caller id. "It'll be for you. It's Summer." He kissed Marissa on the tip of her nose. "You'd better see what she wants otherwise she'll come up here. She and Seth have their own key so they'll just barge in. They haven't improved. It's no better than when I lived in the pool house." He explained. "So you might as well see what she wants now."

"Grr. All right... But you owe me." Marissa said as she reached for the phone. "Hello." As soon as she answered it Ryan took her nipple back in to his mouth and resumed what he was doing. "Aargh…" Marissa said as she felt Ryan's tongue on her. She knew she should push him away so she could concentrate on the phone call but the feeling was so good she didn't want to.

"Coop? Are you okay?" Summer asked concerned.

"Ye..e..eah." she got out as she felt Ryan replace his mouth with his hand and then move his mouth to the other breast and start over again there.

"Um…" Summer wasn't sure just why Marissa sounded like she did but she had an idea. "Is Ryan there?"

"Ye..e..ah." Marissa panted as Ryan started to move lower kissing and licking her as he went.

"Um…your not…." Summer wasn't sure whether to ask or not. "Are you?"

Ryan had started to lick her whilst his fingers started to trace patterns up the inside of her thigh teasing her as they neared her now molten core. He could feel her moving her hips inviting him to join her. He pushed his fingers into her and she let out a cry. "Oh… my… God…".

By this time Summer had a fairly good idea of what was going on and she decided she couldn't get off the phone fast enough. "I'll meet you at 7:30 in the car park for work. Bye." And she hung up and turned to Seth. "Boy that boy must be good."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Chino….. I mean after the way they left your parents house today, I figured things might be a bit strained between them. That's part of why I decided to call; besides having to sort out the plans for tomorrow morning. I thought I could see how things were going." Summer explained. "I mean she was yelling at him only a few hours ago…but…well…"

"Well what? You barely said a word to her. I'm sure it was the shortest phone conversation you two have ever had." Seth said.

"Yeah well. I think she was about to orgasm in my ear and I mean, she is my best friend, but even I don't need to hear that. I may be scarred for life."

"Aww…diddums…come here and let me make it better." Seth said whilst thinking all the while. "Do you really think he's that good?"

Summer raised her eyes at him. "Well, if you remember at college, he basically had them queued up. Let me tell you the gossip was that everyone should have at least one night with him just to set the bar for future relationships. They all knew he wasn't interested in any of them. But then again, I did hear some girls saying he had cruelled it for them because they hadn't been able to find anyone else that came even close. You know….like… everything after him was a disappointment." Summer said and then, noticing the concerned look on Seth's face she smiled to herself and added. "Maybe I should have taken my shot with him when he first arrived in Newport and Marissa was still with Luke. Now I'll never know."

"What?" Seth said. "Tell me you're not serious?"

"Is someone feeling a little insecure?" Summer smiled knowing Seth would now be trying his hardest to outdo Ryan. She figured she could only be a winner out of this situation.

"Well what do you expect from me? How am I expected to compare to Ryan? That's not fair. Let's face it. He's had a lot more experience than me." Seth hung his head. "I'll never be up to his standard."

Summer lifted his head so that she was looking him in the eyes. "Don't you understand? What I'm doing is suggesting that I'd be prepared to help you get more experience. And I'm thinking that we should start now. I can't see why they should be having all the fun."

Seth smiled. "Hmm. I like the way your thinking. So you're volunteering to help me put a few more notches on my belt so to speak?"

"I'm actually suggesting you take the belt off… But yeah. That's the idea. I figure we can raise the bar together."

"I think I can feel it rising already." Seth replied.


	46. The interrogation

_Thanks for the reviews. I appreciate knowing that you are still reading and enjoying it and as I said before, if you keep reviewing then I'll keep posting so here comes the next part. Enjoy !_

**The interrogation**

The next morning Summer was waiting in her car when Marissa came down ready for work. Marissa got in wondering if Summer was going to make any comment about the phone call last night.

Summer started the car and pulled out of the car park. "So…I'm gathering you and Ryan got things sorted out after you left the Cohen's yesterday?"

Marissa looked over at Summer unsure about what she was really referring to. "Yeah um about that…. I'd like to apologise for my melt down yesterday. I just decided that I didn't want to talk to her."

"I totally understand. I'd been waiting to have a go at her myself." Summer explained.

"Did you?" Marissa asked wondering how Julie reacted to Summer giving her a piece of her mind.

"Not really. I guess we exchanged a few "un" pleasantries before she went out to the pool house, but then I didn't get the opportunity after that." Summer stated obviously disappointed.

"I'm sorry did you leave too? I didn't mean to spoil lunch for everyone. I'll have to call and apologise to Sandy and Kirsten later today." Marissa suggested.

"No. We stayed for lunch but your mother didn't come in." Summer explained.

Marissa frowned. "What she stayed in the pool house… even after we'd gone?"

"Yeah…Kirsten said she was a bit of a mess. Apparently she had the doors open so she heard your little…" Summer searched for the right word. "outburst at Ryan….seems she didn't take it too well." Summer explained.

Marissa went quiet. She didn't know quite what to make of that information. Should she be happy or sad that Julie had heard what she'd had to say?

Summer added. "For what it's worth, I think you did the right thing. Nobody would expect you to talk to her after what she put you through."

"Yeah… except Ryan." Marissa suggested.

"Surely he didn't give you a hard time about it? Or if he did, then you seemed to have gotten over it by the time I called you last night. Unless of course I totally misread the sounds you were making?"

Marissa went bright red. So Summer had known or at least suspected what had been going on. "No. He didn't give me a hard time…" she smiled thinking back to what Ryan had been doing to her while she was on the phone and then decided to correct herself. "Well it was hard." she burst out laughing and Summer joined in. Marissa added "He was actually very understanding."

"Sure….I believe you…. that's why you were doing whatever it was that you were doing. Because he was 'being understanding'?" Summer asked teasing her friend.

"Hmm…something like that." Marissa wished she could tell Summer that they were actually celebrating their engagement but she knew she would just have to wait to share her joy. "Actually things were a bit strained for most of the afternoon but we seemed to get passed that." Marissa replied thinking of the way they had spent the evening.

"All I can say is Chino must be really good… because the only thing that sounded 'strained' to me was you. I thought you were about to explode."

Marissa felt herself going bright red yet again. "Yeah well what can I say?"

Summer looked over at Marissa again noticing the look on her face. "So you're telling me that whenever you're having problems he is so good you just give in?" Summer enquired.

Marissa smiled. Obviously Summer had spent quite some time thinking about this. "Well yes and no." Marissa answered hoping to leave it at that and not have to go into detail.

"Uh uh" Summer shook her head from side to side. "You can't get away with an answer like that. I need details."

Marissa smiled thinking about the effect Ryan had on her. "Yeah…." She smiled. "He really is that good. I don't think I could ever hold out if he really wanted to wear me down. He only needs to look at me that way and I go weak at the knees and my body takes on a mind of its own…." Marissa sighed knowing what just thinking about Ryan could do to her. "But he wouldn't do that to me. Yesterday when we came back from Newport I told him I just wanted some time on my own to think about things so I went and took a bath … on my own" Marissa added, just in case Summer thought otherwise. "... and he totally respected that. He actually ordered pizza and sat and watched the football.

"So then what was going on when I rang?" Summer asked. "Please don't tell me you were pleasuring yourself in the bath? Then I would be really scarred for life."

Marissa laughed at Summer's suggestion. "No. I felt a lot better after my bath so I just wanted to spend some time with him and let him know how much I appreciated him always being there for me and knowing and respecting when I needed some space." Marissa explained.

"So you were the instigator?" Summer was surprised. She had always thought that it was Ryan that couldn't get enough.

"Well yes…. I guess I started it. But that was a while before you called. We just hadn't moved far. It was sort of a recurring dream if you know what I mean." Marissa felt herself blush again… thinking about the evening she had spent with Ryan.

"Wow." Summer said. "Do you mean….?" She glanced over at Marissa and raised her eyebrows at her, obviously wanting more information.

Marissa nodded and smiled as she thought about just how long they had managed to keep themselves 'entertained'.

"……Like how many times?" Summer asked her eyes huge waiting for the answer. "I can't believe I actually asked that. I mean I want to know but I'm scared that if I know I'll be so jealous, I'll never want to talk to you again."

Marissa laughed. "Good then don't ask. Because yes it was a lot and no I didn't keep count. But then we had something to celebrate." Marissa shut her mouth as she realised she had almost let it slip.

"What were you celebrating?" Summer was puzzled. After everything that had happened yesterday she couldn't imagine what they would be celebrating.

"Um…" Marissa tried desperately to think of something plausible that her friend would believe. "Ryan's team won the football." Marissa stated. "Apparently they don't win many so it was a special occasion."

"Well I'm sure you'll be a big supporter too then if you get to celebrate like that every time they win." Summer suggested.

"Yeah." Marissa smiled. She wanted to change the subject desperately before she slipped up and revealed their secret. "I wonder who they've got to replace Jake? I hope he's nice."

"Well we'll soon know." Summer answered as she pulled in to the studio's parking lot. "Let's go find out."

---

As Marissa and Summer made their way from the car park to the Sound Studio where Fashion Victim was being shot they were stopped by J.B. going in the opposite direction.

"Marissa. Summer. Welcome back. I hope you both had a pleasant few days off?"

"Yes. Thank you." They both answered almost in unison.

"I gather from the newspaper that things are going well with Ryan?" he looked at Marissa and smiled.

"Yes. Thank you." Marissa returned the smile; blushing slightly as she thought that perhaps 'well' was understating it. She wondered what he would say if he knew the full truth.

"You do know how important he is to this studio don't you? I hope you treat him right." He smiled as he looked at Marissa. He could tell from the glow she was emanating that things were obviously going well between her and Ryan. He smiled as he wondered if Ryan was glowing too. He'd like to see that.

"I don't know how important he is to the studio but I do know how important he is to me, so I will definitely treat him right." Marissa reassured him.

J.B. chuckled. "I must be going soft or something. The thought of you two together ….well let's just say….I'm very happy for you… Both of you… You can tell Ryan I said that… And we still need to work out when we are going to have that dinner I promised you. Get Ryan to give me a call and we'll sort out a time."

"Okay. Thanks. I will." Marissa replied.

"Well then off you go. You've got a movie to make. I don't want to hold you up. Just remember this time, that if you have any problems come and see me. Although, I don't think there will be any problems this time. Matt is a completely different type of guy from Jake. And he's happily married as well. So you shouldn't have any problems coming from that direction." JB shook his head. "I'm still embarrassed about all that Jake business. You should never have had to put up with it. Or should I say with him."

"Well it's all over now and I promise I won't try to deal with things on my own if it should ever happen again."

J.B. smiled. "Well if what I heard from a little bird is right you're not on your own any more? I believe the room at the hotel has been vacated. Perhaps we should be paying your accommodation allowance somewhere else….like maybe to a certain person's penthouse?" J.B. suggested. He suspected she was living with Ryan but he really wasn't sure.

"I'm staying with a friend. A good friend. And they said they'd be offended if I attempted to pay rent so I guess the studio's just saved some money." Marissa replied knowing that he was just fishing for confirmation of whether they were living together or not.

J.B. burst out laughing realising that she had known exactly what he was trying to do. She was definitely no 'dumb blonde'. "You're very good Ms Cooper. I can see why he likes you so much." And with that he put his foot down on the accelerator of the golf cart and left them as he took off in the opposite direction.

"You've obviously made a hit there." Summer stated after sitting quietly watching Marissa talking to J.B. "You know with him on your side you could go far in this industry."

"So I've been told…But…" Marissa started.

"But?" Summer asked.

"I don't know." Marissa shrugged. "I'm not really sure if this is what I want to do with my life? I mean don't get me wrong. It's fun. It's not like I don't like coming to work or anything. But..."

"Come on just out with it." Summer urged her to finish.

"Well I'm just not sure if it's what I really want to do. But I guess at least it keeps me near Ryan so maybe I'd better try to be good at it. I certainly don't want to have to go back and work in Europe."

"So does this mean you're staying here for good?" Summer asked sure that Ryan would love to know the answer to that question himself.

Marissa smiled. She desperately wanted to tell Summer her news but she knew she couldn't. Keeping this secret was proving to be harder than she had ever imagined. "Well let's just say that I'm not keen to look at any career that would make me leave LA."

Summer smiled. "Don't you mean Ryan?"

Marissa smiled. "Mmmm. You have no idea." She thought about the evening they had spent together and knew that he would always be the most important thing in her life.

---

When Ryan got to work, he made his way to his office only to bump literally into Annabel as he walked in the door. She had been walking out of his office and he caused her to drop the bundle of documents that she had been carrying.

"Sorry." Ryan said as they both bent down to pick up the dropped paperwork. Annabel was wearing an extremely low cut blouse and as she bent over in front of him it was impossible for Ryan not to look straight into her cleavage. And very nice cleavage it was, he had to admit. He remembered what Marissa had said, and about what his suspicion's were about Annabel's state of dress or undress, as the case might be, from Friday night and he knew he had to quickly try to avert his eyes in case she got the wrong idea but he was too late. Annabel had obviously known that she was giving him an eyeful and that he had been taking it all in.

She smiled at him. "I was just dropping off the morning mail." Annabel replied. She knew Ryan had been checking her out. She didn't know whether she should be happy or embarrassed. At least, if he was finally looking, then the outfit had done its job and he was no longer being indifferent to her as he used to be. And for that she was happy. She had decided over the weekend to try to make him realise that she was (or at least could be) so much more to him than a co-worker.

She had been concerned that he had noticed that she had been about to strip off her clothes and make a move on him on Friday night. But perhaps he really had been so embarrassed about Marissa's state of dress and his obvious "reaction" to it, that he hadn't actually noticed. Then again, maybe he had realised her intentions and was just checking out the merchandise to see if he was interested. She smiled as the thought crossed her mind. Maybe he and Marissa weren't a done deal just yet.

"Ah. Thank you." Ryan stated as they both stood up and he handed her the papers he had retrieved from the floor.

Annabel didn't want to remind him about Friday night but she knew she needed to tell him about the contracts. "I dropped those contracts off this morning on the way to work. They said they'd call to let you know when the client had signed off on them as well."

"Thanks. I appreciate the trouble you went to." Ryan said as he moved around her and went to sit behind his desk. He couldn't help himself giving Annabel the once over. Did she always look this good? Or was it just that being with Marissa had made everything have a rosy glow?

Annabel noticed him looking her over and smiled to herself. "No trouble." She stood in the doorway waiting for Ryan to say something else and giving him time to have a good look at the merchandise. When he didn't she added. "Did you have pleasant weekend?"

Ryan nodded. He wasn't sure just what she meant. He had started to realise that maybe some of what Annabel said had a deeper meaning than he had at first thought. He had always taken everything she said at face value but maybe that wasn't the best idea. He had a feeling that she wasn't looking for a 'yes thank you' type answer. But surely there was no harm in trying. "Yes. Thank you. And yourself?"

"Well…I didn't do anything newsworthy like some people." She said.

Ryan frowned as he looked at her. He wished she would just come out and say whatever it was that was on her mind. He really wasn't in to playing her little games. "Am I missing something here?" he asked.

"Only if you didn't see yesterday's paper." She replied.

"Ahh….I see." Ryan started to understand what she was getting at.

"Should I expect to see you in the paper regularly now? I thought you didn't like all that sort of attention?" Annabel asked.

"I don't. You know that." Ryan replied.

"Well then you'd better stop hanging around with Marissa Cooper. Because I'm sure the paparazzi will never leave you alone while you are with her. Maybe you should be looking for someone else. Someone without such a high profile." She suggested; stopping short of actually volunteering for the position.

Ryan figured this was as good a time as any to make it clear to her that as far as he was concerned Marissa was here to stay. "They'll just have to get used to it." He said and it was on the tip of his tongue to add 'and so will you' but he didn't. "I think she is worth putting up with them for." He added wanting to make sure that she understood just how he felt.

Annabel was disappointed. She had seen the way they were on Friday night and she knew from what Marissa had said that she definitely had a thing for Ryan but what Annabel hadn't been sure of was Ryan's feelings on the whole matter. She had lost a lot of sleep over the weekend thinking about it and had managed to hang on to a small thread of hope that maybe he didn't reciprocate Marissa's feelings; at least to the same degree. But it looked like that wasn't the case. She had never heard Ryan talk this way about anyone. He hated the paparazzi with a passion. If he was prepared to put up with them to be with her then this really was serious. She had worn the low cut blouse deliberately hoping to get some sort of reaction out of Ryan and there was no doubt that it had the desired effect but it looked like she would need a lot more than a new outfit to make him forget about Marissa Cooper.

Ryan watched her as the different emotions played across her face. "I believe you are joining us for dinner on Wednesday evening?" he asked wanting to move the conversation on.

His use of the word 'us' didn't go unnoticed by Annabel. "Umm…if that's okay. Please don't feel that you have to include me. I know that Marissa was probably just trying to be friendly." Annabel stated.

"No. She's definitely expecting you. I've been given orders to invite Skip along as well. I think she's trying to do a bit of match making between the two of you. But if that would make you uncomfortable then just say and I won't ask him."

"Skip? The pilot you use?" Annabel asked. She knew Marissa had said she had someone in mind but she didn't realise that it was a pilot. That would certainly be a change from the boring guys she normally associated with.

"Yeah. He's a great guy." Ryan answered.

"Um...then no. That's fine. I mean if he's not doing anything." She shrugged her shoulders not wanting to let Ryan see just how intrigued she was in meeting Skip. "I'd hate to be the reason he missed out on a free meal."

Ryan laughed as he watched the play of emotions on her face yet again. "Okay. I'll give him a call. But I'm really not the match making type. That is all Marissa's idea. I just hope you both have a pleasant time."

"With company like you two; how could we not." Annabel smiled and turned and made her way back to her desk. Maybe if nothing else she could try to use Skip to make Ryan jealous.


	47. Parental Advice

_Thanks for all the feed back. It's great to know that someone is reading along and enjoying it._

**Parental advice**

Marissa had a busy morning. She met Jake's replacement. A guy called Matthew Phillips who seemed really nice. Not at all like Jake and they had a busy morning. When they broke for lunch, Marissa was told that she wouldn't be needed for the rest of the day as they needed to do some catch up scenes with Matthew, so she decided to make her way home and call Kirsten to apologise for yesterday.

She used her key to the apartment for the first time and was amazed at how something so small could give her so much pleasure. She looked down at the seemingly insignificant piece of metal in her hand and realised just how much it meant to her. This really was happening. She lived with Ryan. All those years without him…thinking that they would never be together were over. It was hard to remember the girl that had lived in Paris….she had been like a cardboard cut-out …. It was as if being with Ryan had made her in to a real live person again. It was as if her life had moved from black and white to technicolor.

She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and then picked up the phone knowing that she couldn't put off calling Kirsten any longer. As she dialled the number she realised that there was a possibility that Julie might answer. She decided that if she did then she would just hang up. There was no way that she was going to talk to her. Nothing had changed from yesterday. She still felt just as strongly about not wanting to talk to her mother. She could feel the perspiration start to form on her top lip as the phone continued to ring. Suddenly it answered.

"Hello." Kirsten said obviously out of breathe.

"Kirsten? It's Marissa." She replied breathing a sigh of relief.

"Marissa honey. I'm sorry it took me so long to get to the phone. I was outside working in the herb garden and I had to get the dirt off my hands before I could come in and answer it."

"That's okay. I thought you may have been out. I'm just glad I caught you at home." Marissa replied.

"No I'm here. And I'm so happy you called. How are you? I've been thinking about you ever since you left yesterday. I thought about trying to call you but I didn't want to disturb you at work. I wanted to apologise for yesterday."

"I'm okay. But that's why I called…to apologise. Why would you want to apologise? I'm the one that lost it." Marissa said still ashamed about the way she had behaved.

"Well I wanted to apologise for not fully understanding just what you had been through." Kirsten replied showing her concern for Marissa.

"How could you know? It's no one's fault but my mothers. I called because I wanted to apologise for my behaviour. I know I spoilt your lunch and my little ….meltdown…was inexcusable. I'm sure you must think that I'd be a good candidate for a loony bin." Marissa replied feeling embarrassed.

"Nonsense. I just wish we had been able to prevent either of you having to go through all that you did. I'm sorry that we ever put you in the position that we did yesterday." Kirsten said trying to reassure her.

"Well…it really wasn't you that put me in it. Ryan was the one that wanted me to talk to her." Marissa stated.

Kirsten could hear in her voice that Marissa still was not completely over the incident. She couldn't help but wonder how things stood between Ryan and Marissa as she hadn't talked to Ryan since they had left. "Please don't hold it against him. I think that like all things with Ryan you need to look deeply to understand his motivation. He really is a good example of that old saying that 'Still waters run deep.'"

"I know that. But I don't really understand just why he was so keen for me to talk to her after everything that she has done. I said from the beginning that I didn't want to have anything to do with her." Marissa said.

"I guess only he can tell you that. I could tell you what I think but only he knows for sure." Kirsten added.

"And what do you think?" Marissa asked. She respected Kirsten probably more than anyone else she knew.

"Do you really want to know?" Kirsten asked. She didn't want to butt into Ryan and Marissa's business but if it would help to sort things out between them then she would be happy to try to explain to Marissa just where she thought Ryan's motivation was coming from.

"Yes. I do. I think you and Sandy probably understand him better than anyone."

"Well…remember this is totally my opinion. I haven't spoken to him about it so I might be entirely wrong." Kirsten assured her.

"Okay I understand that." Marissa replied.

"Well I think that Ryan has always wanted a real family; one that would stand by one another through thick and thin. I get the impression that when he was younger, living in Chino, he was the only one of the Atwood's that ever tried to do that. It seems that all the others were always thinking of themselves first and wouldn't give much thought to anyone else. His father was never there. Trey only wanted to use him to help him in his criminal activities. Even his mother … Look at the way Dawn turned on him when he was first arrested with Trey? As soon as there were problems they thought only of themselves first. Ryan was the only one who ever made an effort to make a 'family' out of a fairly dysfunctional group of people."

"Okay I guess I can see that" Marissa replied trying to see just where Kirsten was going with this.

"Well I'd like to think that since he's been with us that he has seen that it is possible to have that 'real' family. Sandy and I would be there for him no matter what he did. There've been times when we haven't exactly been proud of him…like when he broke in to the office at Harbour and then when he punched out the dean. But in the long run…that doesn't matter. We love him. He is part of our family. Nothing he could do would ever change that. And I think Ryan now realises that. He probably appreciates it even more than Seth because Seth just takes it for granted. He has never known anything else. Ryan on the other hand knows that it doesn't happen in all families. There will always be times when things don't go as you would like. Ask Ryan about whether he and Sandy have ever clashed and I think you'll be surprised. But in the end, the only thing that matters is that he is part of our family" Kirsten said hoping that she was getting through to Marissa.

Marissa thought for a moment "I know that everything you are saying is true. But let's face it …yours is not the average family…what you have is something special."

"Well I'd like to think so. But what you need to realise is that it doesn't come easily. I can assure you that Sandy and I have had our problems over the years but the over-riding fact is that we love each other so we have worked through them. And let me tell you when there are no problems I start to wonder what's wrong. But I assure you for those times in between, when we are trouble free and supportive then they are the best times in the world."

"I understand what you are saying. But this isn't between Ryan and I. I know I love him enough that we will work through anything. But between my mother and me …..I'm not so sure. Let's face it ...The Coopers never had a connection like the Cohen's." Marissa suggested.

"Well I think Ryan just wants you to have what he has…and it's a two way street. You can't expect someone to be there for you when you mess up, unless you're prepared to do the same thing in return. Ryan knows that what you mother did was unforgivable…but maybe if you let her try to explain why she did it…and let her apologise…then who knows...maybe sometime in the future you will be able to have some sort of relationship with her again. Ryan just doesn't want you to close the door on the possibility."

Marissa thought about what Kirsten said and realised that she was probably right. But even so, she doubted whether she would want to have anything to do with Julie ever again. "I honestly don't think I can." Marissa added feeling guilty that she should somehow have been trying harder to make things better between herself and her mother.

Kirsten could hear the regret in Marissa's voice and didn't want her to feel guilty about the way she had behaved. She was more than entitled to act the way she did and Kirsten wanted to explain to Marissa that she had their full support. "No…I was just going to say that I think Ryan needs to realise that he can't force things to happen. Who knows…maybe in time you will feel differently."

"Presently, I can't imagine ever wanting to have anything to do with her ever again." Marissa explained.

"I realise that honey. But you never know. I guess I'm just hoping for the full fairy tale for the both of you." Kirsten stated.

"Fairy Tale?" Marissa queried "How so?"

"Well I'd like to think that the two of you will make your own family. You both deserve some happiness after everything you have been through. And I know that you will be there for one another through everything." Kirsten added. "I'm not trying to rush you in to anything. I know you've both only just got back together. But I guess I've just always thought that you were meant for one another."

"I know what you mean." Marissa wished that she could tell Kirsten just how close they were to making her wish come true … but it was still too soon. "Thanks for the talk. You've certainly given me something to think about for the afternoon." Marissa added.

Kirsten frowned. "I hope it doesn't interfere with your work."

"No I'm actually at home. They didn't need me anymore today so I thought I might try to find a cook book around here somewhere and make something special for dinner tonight. Do you know if Ryan has any hidden away?" Marissa asked.

"I'm not sure but I know one of his favourites and I could give you the recipe over the phone." Kirsten suggested.

"Okay thanks, I'll just get some paper and a pen. I hope I can do it justice."

"I'm sure you will."

---

Ryan was checking over some projections for a new project when Annabel announced that Sandy was there. He pushed the paper work to one side and walked over to open the door and greet him.

"Hey son. How's things going?" Sandy asked.

"Great. This is a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting to see you today. Or have I forgotten something?" Ryan felt a bit guilty. He knew that since Marissa had arrived he had been slightly 'off' as far as work was concerned. He wondered had he lost track of something that he and Sandy were supposed to be doing.

"No. I just happened to be in the area and I thought I'd drop by and see if you might have time for lunch or at least a coffee if nothing else?"

Ryan looked at his watch. He had lost track of time … again. It was after 1 p.m. "Sure. Let's go and grab a sandwich or something." He grabbed his suit jacket and followed Sandy out the door. "Annabel. I'll be out for about an hour. If Marissa calls tell her I'll ring her when I get back."

Annabel looked up and indicated with her eyes that she had heard him but she said nothing.

As the lift doors closed on Sandy and Ryan, Sandy chuckled. "Do I gather that something is up Annabel's nose today? She's not the same happy go lucky person that I saw last week when I came in to swap cars. And I don't just mean the way she's looks. Although that's certainly different too….does she usually dress like that?"

Ryan just smiled not sure what he should say.

"I mean, I may be old and married but that doesn't mean you can't window shop and let's face it her window had a lot on display today. It was a bit hard to miss."

Ryan laughed. "Yeah I know what you mean. I accidentally ran in to her this morning and safe to say when we both bent down to retrieve the things she had dropped …well I got an eyeful" he smiled and added "…that wasn't entirely unpleasant."

Sandy laughed. "So …. Does she usually dress like that?"

"No" he shook his head "I've never seen it….or should I say…. them…before." Ryan smiled as well.

Sandy laughed out loud at Ryan's comment. "So … the student really has become the master hey? Seth would have been proud of that one." Sandy added. "So I gather the presence of Marissa has brought about this change of wardrobe?" Sandy asked.

"I have no idea." Ryan shook his head again. They were now walking to a Starbucks across from the Atwood offices. They ordered and made their way to a table.

"You know Kirsten has said for quite a while now that Annabel has a crush on you." Sandy said.

"Not her too. Summer has been on at me about it." He shook his head. "I don't know why."

"Well I can think why. Something to do with you being good looking, rich, successful and a nice guy to boot … you can't really blame her." Sandy suggested.

Ryan started to blush a little "You don't think that you're biased do you?" he laughed as their lunch was delivered to their table. "I've never given her any reason to think that I'm interested but…"

"But what?" Sandy asked.

"Well…. There is no doubt that she has been behaving…differently….recently." Ryan added thinking back to her behaviour last week after the photos of he and Marissa had first appeared in the paper. And then, what he was now fairly certain of, about her state of undress on Friday night. Along with the way she was dressed today and her behaviour, maybe there really was something to what they were all saying.

"Such as?" Sandy urged him to continue.

Ryan shrugged. "It doesn't really matter. I'm sure I'll sort it all out. She knows that I'm with Marissa so she'll have to get the message soon."

"I think the only message she's giving out with that outfit today is that Marissa has a fight on her hands." Sandy suggested.

Ryan just smiled. "I assure you Marissa has already won without even lifting a finger."

Sandy looked at him wanting to know just how sure he was about that. "So everything's good again….after yesterday?"

"Sure…why wouldn't it be?" Ryan replied.

"Come on Ryan. She left our home yelling at you. You can't blame me for asking." Sandy added.

"No. But I assure you everything's fine." Ryan could feel himself start to blush as he thought about the way they had spent last night and just how fine Marissa was.

Sandy noticed the tell tale signs. Only Marissa could make Ryan behave like this. "I can see from the pleasant shade of pink that you're turning that you have obviously 'made up'."

Ryan just looked up and tried to give Sandy 'the look'. He didn't reply knowing he would just go even redder if he continued down this path with Sandy.

"But you have actually talked to her this time?" Sandy added. "I hope."

Ryan knew that Sandy was referring to whether they had discussed what to do about Julie and the truth was they hadn't really come to any sort of agreement at all, just basically agreed to disagree. "We'll be fine." He assured Sandy. "Is Julie still with you?"

"No. That's why I'm here. I dropped her off at LAX. She went back to England this morning." Sandy said.

Ryan didn't know whether to be happy or sad. The fact that Julie was no longer around, meant that she couldn't cause any more trouble between them. But he did regret that Marissa hadn't talked to her mother at all. He hoped she wouldn't come to regret the decision. "Was she….okay?" he asked.

"Barely… she was a mess last night. But she did seem a bit better this morning. But let's face it … she's a tough old character. I can't imagine her letting anything get to her for long. Although I must admit, maybe Marissa is her Achilles Heel?" Sandy suggested. "But enough about her. What I really came to see you about was whether you and Marissa would join us this weekend in … Miami?" He smiled trying to make it sound like the opportunity of a lifetime. "All expenses paid." Sandy laughed. "Okay, I know the cost doesn't worry you but I just wanted to make it sound more appealing."

"Why Miami…am I missing something here?" Ryan asked.

"Well… It's the Nana's 70th birthday and Kirsten and I have been trying to think of something to get for her. We had planned on going anyhow but when we were talking this morning about a gift we both agreed that the best gift we could give her would be to get the whole family to go. She has planned to have dinner with a few friends on Saturday and we thought that you and Seth, along with your girlfriends, could be the surprise guests. Seth and Summer have said yes and we'd love it if you, I mean both of you, joined us. You know how much the Nana thinks of you."

"Yeah, well. The feeling is mutual." Ryan replied. "I'll just have to check with Marissa but I'd love to go. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Sandy smiled knowing that his mother would think that this was the best gift ever. "Okay. Well I'm going home to make the reservations. I thought we'd fly down Friday night and I'll have you back for work by Monday morning. Kirsten and I might stay down there for a couple more days but I'll see what she thinks." Sandy added. "Let me know tonight after you've spoken to Marissa if there are any problems."

"Okay. But I can't imagine there will be. From what I remember, she loves the Nana too." Ryan replied.

"And of course a weekend away with you wouldn't cause her any problems either?" Sandy suggested chuckling lightly.

Ryan smiled knowing that Sandy was just teasing him. "Okay. And with that… I'm going back to work. Some of us have things to do." Ryan said.

"Just be careful of Annabel this afternoon. I swear, that top she has on. I reckon if she bent over you, then one of those brown nosed puppies could fall out and poke you in the eye."

Ryan shook his head and laughed as he made his way back to his office. He thought about talking to Annabel about wearing more appropriate office attire but decided against it. This was the first time she had ever done it. He was sure that she wouldn't turn up like that tomorrow…..would she?


	48. Dinner for Two

_I get the impression that Annabel doesn't have many fans - but she hasn't even started to have her fun yet. Enjoy !_

**Dinner for two**

Ryan left work at 5 which for him was like the middle of the afternoon, he usually worked until at least 9 but he couldn't wait to get home. He had called Marissa after he returned from lunch and she was at home and cooking him something special for dinner. Little did she know that food was not what he was most looking forward to?

As he let himself in the door, he could smell something delicious. He dropped his bag in the study and made his way into the kitchen expecting to find Marissa but she wasn't there.

"Ris…where are you?" he called out.

"In here Ryan." he heard coming from their bathroom.

He made his way in to see her. Dropping his jacket on the bed on the way passed.

"I'm sorry. I must have either lost track of the time or you are earlier than I expected." Marissa said as she stood up in the bath and reached for a towel.

Ryan stood at the door and stopped to take in the sight before him. Marissa was still standing in the bubble bath reaching for the towel that was slightly out of reach. The water and suds from the bubble bath that she had been taking were running down her naked body. Here and there the bubbles would stop as they attached themselves to her body not wanting to let go, ignoring the fact that gravity dictated that they should make their way back in to the bath water. She was breathtaking. He wished that he had a camera so that he could capture her beauty forever. He stepped forward and picked up the towel that she was trying to reach and debated whether he should use it to dry her or whether he would just put it further out of reach so that he could admire the view for a little while longer.

"What time is it?" Marissa asked. She hadn't noticed that Ryan hadn't spoken because she had literally taken his breathe away. She looked at Ryan and still he didn't answer. "Ryan." She said again… wanting to get a response from him.

"You're beautiful." Was all he could say?

"Thank you." Marissa smiled finally realising that he was behaving as if he was stunned. "But I still need to know what time it is. I didn't think I'd been in here that long but if you're already home then maybe I need to go and check on the meatloaf."

"Meatloaf?" he questioned realising that he recognised the aroma. "The Nana's meatloaf?" he asked.

"Yeah. Kirsten gave me the recipe. She said it was one of your favourites. And that in the last few years, since she had learnt how to cook, that whenever you and Sandy were having a 'disagreement' then she would make it for dinner because she knew it was something you both agreed on." She looked at him shyly wondering if he would think it was all a bit much…her trying to make his favourite foods. "I hope she was right. Otherwise I've gone to a lot of trouble for nothing."

"When was she ever wrong?" Ryan replied. "I had never realised that she made it deliberately when Sandy and I were at odds. But thinking back you're probably right. We always ended up talking over dinner. Although sometimes we had words again fighting over who got the biggest serve." He laughed thinking about the dinners at the Cohen's.

"I don't know if it will be any good but I followed all Kirsten's directions and it certainly smells okay?" Marissa added.

"Have I told you I love you?" Ryan said as he wrapped his arms around her.

"RYAN…You'll get all wet." Marissa said trying to push him away.

"Mmmm. But it's worth it." He added as he started to use his fingers to trace the outlines of the patches on her body that still had bubbles attached.

"Mmmm." Marissa replied loving the feeling of his hands on her. Would she never get enough of him? "But what time is it? I don't want it to burn." She added.

"It's about 5:30." He replied without stopping to look at his watch.

"Is that all?" Marissa replied realising that he had obviously left work early. She smiled and started to remove his tie.

Ryan smiled. "Yeah. Why?'

"Well the meatloaf's got another hour to go. Maybe you'd like to join me while we wait for it to cook?" she asked.

"Maybe I will." Ryan replied shedding his clothes in record time.

---

When Ryan was naked he hopped into the bath and sat behind her, wrapping his arms around her as she sat between his legs. He started to run his hands gently up and down her arms and then proceeded to move on to her body stroking all over her and Marissa couldn't help but relax and enjoy it.

"What's my chances?" Ryan asked.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Her eyes closed…blissfully enjoying having Ryan's hands reeking havoc with her senses.

"Well I thought that maybe if I returned your massage from yesterday then maybe I'd be able to get another lap dance." He suggested quietly in her ear.

"What do you mean?... in front of the TV later?" Marissa asked.

Ryan pulled her back closer to him to make sure that she could feel the effect she was having on him. "No I was thinking right now." He suggested.

Marissa smiled and wiggled her rear against him, feeling his hardness poking at her from behind. She turned herself around to sit facing him with her legs around him and as she pulled him into a hug he entered her and all thoughts of meatloaf left both their minds.

---

After the 'action' in the bath, the two dried off and made their way in to the bedroom to pull on some comfy clothes.

"You know I could just turn up the heat and then clothes wouldn't be necessary?" Ryan suggested.

"I don't think that would be a very good idea. What if I burnt myself while I'm cooking dinner?" Marissa laughed as she pulled on some flannel pyjama pants and a wife beater.

Ryan looked innocently at her. "I'd kiss it better." He suggested.

Marissa laughed as she pulled him toward her for a quick kiss before she went to check on dinner. "I'll have the kiss but miss out on the burn if it's all the same to you?"

Ryan pulled on some sweat pants and a wife beater and followed her into the kitchen.

"That smells amazing." He said as she opened the oven door to check on the meatloaf.

"Yeah. It does smell pretty good." she replied as she closed the door again. "I hope it tastes as good as it smells. It should be ready in about 15 minutes. How about a glass of wine while we wait and you can tell me about your day?"

"Okay. I'll go and open a bottle." Ryan thought about whether he should tell her about Annabel's mode of dress, or lack there of, but he decided against it. Hopefully tomorrow she would be back to her sensible office clothes.

He returned to the kitchen with a glass of red for both of them, and he handed one to Marissa and said. "Did you have any plans for this weekend that can't be changed?"

Marissa looked up from what she was doing mashing the potatoes and wondered where this was going. "Um no. Only to spend it with you." She smiled noticing the huge grin that spread across his face at her words.

"Well you can still do that. But how about we do it in Miami?" he suggested.

"Miami? Do you have a meeting or something?" she asked thinking that maybe it would be something like the trip to San Francisco.

"No nothing like that. It's the Nana's 70th birthday and Sandy has suggested that we all go for the weekend and surprise her. Well at least you and I and Seth and Summer will be a surprise. I think she is expecting Sandy and Kirsten already."

"I'd love to go. I haven't seen the Nana in……I don't know…a long time. Is she still as great as ever?"

Ryan smiled. "Yeah. She keeps us all on our toes."

"So when are we going?" Marissa asked.

"Friday night and coming back late Sunday in time for work on Monday. Is that okay?"

Marissa looked disappointed. "So no Newport House this weekend?"

"No. Does it really matter?" Ryan asked.

"Well….I'd been looking forward to those stairs again." She laughed. "But I guess I can wait another week."

"You do know I could always have some stairs put in here? Or if you're really desperate we could always try the fire escape? There's lots of stairs there." Ryan suggested.

Marissa laughed. "Thanks but I think I'll pass on that idea. A bit too cold and draughty for me." She looked back at what she was doing getting the plates and cutlery ready for their meal. "So you and me in a plane again……" she kept her head down but raised her eyes to look at Ryan.

"Not this time my lady." He shook his head. "I'm afraid we're travelling commercial with all the others."

She pulled a sad face, sticking out her bottom lip and pouting.

Ryan laughed as he took in the face she was pulling. "Don't look at me like that. I did think about chartering a plane. But I would have had to invite the others to come with us and then that would have defeated the whole purpose of having a private jet with you. So you're just going to have to slum it in first class."

"Hmm." She smiled. "You do know some of those first class seats have a fair bit of room and it is a long flight……" she suggested.

He laughed. "Okay. But YOU do know that I'm not up for anything where I may get arrested. I have too many government contracts on the go to risk them, by being charged with public indecency or something like it. I'll buy you a book to keep you occupied." he shook his head smiling. "I think I've created a monster."

"What you're telling me you didn't enjoy it?" Marissa asked.

He reached for her and pulled her in to his arms. "You know I enjoyed it. I enjoy every minute I spend with you." He said as he kissed her lightly on the tip of her nose.

Marissa hung her head. "Even when I was yelling at you yesterday?" she knew that part of the reason for making a special dinner was to try to say sorry to him for the way she had behaved. She had lain in the bath earlier thinking about everything that Kirsten had said and Marissa figured she was probably spot on. But she still didn't think that she could talk to her mother.

"Even then. I just wished I'd never put you in that position." Ryan replied.

"It's okay. Let's just move past it and look forward to the weekend." Marissa frowned. "How are Sandy and Kirsten going to get rid of my mother before then? Surely they aren't going to leave her at the house on her own while they are away?"

"Didn't Kirsten tell you?" Ryan asked.

"Tell me what?"

"Julie left today. Sandy dropped her at LAX before lunch and she was going back to London." Ryan informed her.

Marissa thought for a moment. "Good. That means I have no chance of running in to her anywhere."

Ryan wasn't sure what to say.

They both started to feel uncomfortable with the silence … neither wanting to talk about something that they knew they didn't and wouldn't agree on.

Finally Marissa said "I think I'll just go and call Summer so we can plan a shopping trip."

"What for?" Ryan was pleased that she had changed the subject.

"Ry. Don't act so dumb. We're going away for the weekend. Surely you want us to look our best. We can't do that in just any old thing."

"Let me assure you Ris. You will be the best thing that the guys in the retirement village have seen in a long time no matter what you are wearing. Maybe you should just wear a sack. You never know just how much those pacemakers can take? You all dolled up might be too much for them." He suggested.

"Very Funny. When did you develop this sense of humour Mr Atwood?" she asked.

"It must have happened while you were learning to cook." Ryan suggested.

"You're just a laugh a minute but you know you'd need to do a lot better than that to keep Summer and I away from a shopping trip."

They both realised that each of them had changed during the time that they had been apart and they would have to re-acquaint themselves with one another but that only made things more interesting and they were looking forward to finding out all there was to know about the other.

---

"So you haven't told me what Jake's replacement is like." Ryan asked as they sat at the dinner table. He had just finished off his third helping of meatloaf.

"Why don't we clean up here and then we can go and relax in the lounge and I'll tell you about him." Marissa suggested.

"Um. There's a slight problem with that idea." Ryan replied.

"What?" Marissa looked at him puzzled.

"I don't think I can move." He smiled, leaning back in his chair and patting his stomach.

"Ryan Atwood! You do know I'm only with you because you body is so hot I can't help myself. If you keep eating like that you'll end up with a tubby belly and I might change my mind." She teased knowing that she would love Ryan no matter what he looked like.

"Hey. It's not my fault. What's a guy to do for crying out loud? You made meatloaf! The nana's meatloaf! … I just wanted to compliment you on your cooking and I figured the best way to do that was by eating as much as I could possibly fit in my stomach." Ryan said in his defence.

"You really have been around Seth much too long." Marissa replied. "That's the sort of logic I can imagine him using."

Ryan laughed. "Yeah. You're probably right. I think I may have even heard him use the exact words last Thanksgiving…or at least something awfully close."

"It's a good thing that you're in sweats. If you had jeans on they'd be cutting into you by now."

Ryan pulled at the waist of his sweats testing their limits. "Yeah. I'm sure that meals like this are what these pants were designed for. I mean if my skin could just stretch a little more then I would have been able to finish the meatloaf off. The pants still have some give in them."

"Ryan. I can't believe you could even think about eating anything more. The recipe is supposed to make enough for 6 people and you've almost finished it on your own."

Ryan pulled a face and pouted at her trying to get her to forgive him. "But it's the first time anyone has ever made me a meatloaf all of my own. Well except for what you ate and that barely counts." He suggested. "I liked it…. And who knows it might not ever happen again. I had to make the most of it while I could."

Marissa looked at him. He was so cute sitting there talking about 'his meatloaf' with his sad puppy dog eyes. "Well, if I promise to make it for you regularly will you promise not to attack it like you haven't seen food for a month?"

The pout instantly left Ryan's face and a big smile took its place. He was just like a little boy on Christmas morning. "Exactly how regularly are we talking about?"

Marissa laughed and shook her head. "Would you like me to make it again on Wednesday when we have our visitors coming for dinner? At least I know that if you have to share it you won't be able to eat yourself in to this state."

"That's a great idea." Ryan said in agreement. "And it means I only have to wait 2 more days."

"Okay. By the way did you get to talk to Skip today?"

"Yeah. He said he'd love to come. He has to take a client to Denver tomorrow and then they are returning on Wednesday, but he doesn't think they should be too late. So unless there is a problem with the weather, he'll be here."

"And Annabel's still coming?" Marissa asked.

Ryan wondered again if he should mention to Marissa about what went on with Annabel today but he decided against it. He didn't want to make a mountain out of a mole hill and anyhow surely Annabel had got the message and would be back to normal tomorrow. "Yeah." He replied. "What time should I tell her to come?"

"How about 7? That should give me enough time to get home from work and get dinner under control before everyone arrives. Did you warn Skip that he was being set up?"

"Well I told him that there would be an unattached female here. You know I'm not the one trying to set him up. That's you." Ryan added.

"Yeah. I'm just so happy…..I'd like everyone else to be too." She smiled at him.

"Aww. You're so sweet. Little Miss Matchmaker. They'll probably detest one another on sight and then we'll have to try to keep them apart for the rest of the evening."

"I hope not. Skip's too much fun for anyone to detest and he's good-looking as well. I can't see how she could not like him. And if she doesn't then I'll be the one to sort things out. That girl has an unhealthy interest in you that I'd rather not see go any further. So you just keep your distance." Marissa suggested.

"Okay." Ryan thought again about the fact that maybe everyone was right about Annabel but he didn't want to deal with it now. "But about this Jake replacement? Do I need to worry?" Ryan asked changing the subject.

"No not at all. But come on. I'm sure you can manage to move as far as the lounge and we can relax. If you really can't make it then I guess I could roll you." Marissa suggested.

"Ha ha." Ryan replied as he rose slowly from his chair.

"I think you're just trying to get out of cleaning up." Marissa added as she collected their plates and made her way back into the kitchen.

Ryan picked up their glasses and refilled them and made his way into the lounge. He couldn't believe how much he enjoyed just 'being' with Marissa. He thought back to his life over the last few years and realised just what he had been missing out on. He had no intention of letting anything come between them again.

---

After cleaning up in the kitchen Marissa came and joined Ryan on the lounge. "Okay. So tell me about your day?" Ryan asked pulling her closer to him and wrapping an arm around her.

"Where do you want me to start?" Marissa asked.

"How about the beginning. It's always a good place."

"Well….." Marissa thought back and then suddenly she turned and hit him playfully in the chest.

Ryan jumped surprised. "What was that for?"

"I just remembered the embarrassing situation you put me in this morning with Summer. I got the third degree about what was going on last night when I was on the phone?"

Ryan looked innocently at her. "But I wasn't on the phone to Summer." He gave her his most angelic look.

"No…you were on … ME. She knew exactly what was going on."

"Well I don't see what I had to do with it?"

Marissa started to laugh.

"Sorry. Have I missed something?" Ryan asked.

Marissa shook her head. "No. It's just that Summer asked a sort of similar question. She said that if you weren't involved then from the noises she heard that I must have been pleasuring myself. I think it must have been pretty obvious that I was….." Marissa stopped not wanting to continue.

"Enjoying yourself….. and about to…..?" Ryan suggested.

"Yeah….I guess that will do." Marissa replied feeling herself go red at the thought of what was really going on when Summer had called.

"So…what did you actually say we were doing?" Ryan asked.

"I said we were celebrating." Marissa replied.

"You didn't tell her did you?" Ryan asked concerned that Marissa had told Summer about the engagement.

"No. But I would have loved to. I told her we were celebrating the fact that your football team won and that they don't win very many so it was something special." Marissa replied and shrugged her shoulders. "It was the best I could come up with."

"You're the one that's something special." Ryan replied as he kissed her softly on the tip of her nose.

"We really need to think of some way to get Seth to propose. Otherwise one day it's just going to slip out." Marissa said.

Ryan nodded. "Yeah. I know what you mean. When I was talking to Sandy today I would have loved to be able to tell him. Maybe I'll call Seth tomorrow and try to give him a little shove." Ryan thought for a moment and added. "I know, maybe he could do it this weekend in Miami? The whole family will be there. Maybe I can convince him that he should not waste the opportunity of letting the Nana be part of the celebrations?"

"That's a great idea. Do you think he'll go for it?"

"Well…it's worth a try. Then we just need to give them a bit of time to get over their celebrations and then we can let everyone in on our news." Ryan added. "And we can go and get you another ring for that finger of yours."

"Mmmm…I can't wait." Marissa replied.

"Summer will say yes won't she?" Ryan asked all of a sudden concerned that he may have been assuming something he shouldn't.

"Of course she'll say yes. How can you even doubt it?"

"I don't know. But I can guarantee that Seth will have a million doubts at the last minute. He's going to be a wreck. That's why it hasn't happened already. He's had it planned a couple of times and then chickened out because he's scared she'll say no."

"That will never happen." Marissa replied. "Summer has loved him for …. It seems like forever. She's been waiting for this for ages."

They both sat there thinking for a few minutes.

"You know you got out of it easily?" Marissa suggested.

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked.

"Well I think that what Seth's going through is probably pretty normal for the average male." Marissa shook her head. "Not for a minute am I suggesting that Seth is average. But you know what I mean. I think most men probably spend quite a bit of time wondering how and when to propose and then worrying about whether or not the girl will say yes." She raised her eyebrows waiting for him to disagree.

"And you think I didn't?" Ryan asked surprised.

"Well correct me if I'm wrong. But I don't think you had been planning it at all." She smiled. "It just sort of popped out." Marissa looked shyly at him. "But I'm hoping that you don't regret it."

"The only thing I regret is that I didn't ask you years ago." He replied assuring her that it was what he wanted. "And anyhow, you said no to start off with. You do realise that my heart stopped beating when you said that. Nothing could be as bad as what you put me through."

"Yeah. Sorry about that. But I was saying no, it wasn't too fast. It's just that I was having a little trouble talking at the time. There was this lump in my throat the size of an apple. It's not like I had been expecting to be proposed too." She smiled at him.

"So, you haven't changed your mind, now that you've had some time to think about it?" Ryan asked softly.

"No way mister. You're not getting out of it even if you want to." Marissa replied then all of a sudden losing confidence. "You don't want to, do you?"

"No…Are you kidding? Now that I know that you can cook the Nana's meatloaf, I can't get you to the altar quick enough. Actually, thinking about it, maybe we shouldn't have meatloaf on Wednesday night. Skip already has a thing for you. If he tastes the meatloaf, he might become unbearable."

Marissa just shook her head. "Well you better hurry up and clear the way to that altar then." She laughed.

"Okay, I'll talk to Seth tomorrow. But back to your day, how was work?"

"Yeah good. Matt Phillips, the guy that's taken over from Jake seems really nice. He's married with a 3 year old boy and I think he'll be really good in the part. Very professional, nothing at all like Jake. Which reminds me, I saw J.B. this morning and he wanted you to get in touch with him about dinner sometime."

"Okay. But it will have to be next week. There's a bit too much going on right now."

"Okay you just sort it out with him but I warn you, he was definitely fishing for the status of our relationship. He wanted to know where I was staying?"

"Did you tell him you're with me?" Ryan asked.

"No. I figured it's none of his business. I just told him I was staying with a 'good friend'. Isn't that all he needs to know?" Marissa asked.

Ryan laughed. "I'm sure that intrigued him even more. He's used to calling the shots, so leaving him in the dark will be bugging the hell out of him. But you're probably right. I don't think he would deliberately let on to the paparazzi but he can't reveal what he doesn't know. So well done. Now what do you say to going to bed?"

"What you tired?" Marissa asked.

"No. But I seem to be able to move a little better now and I thought you might help give me a little workout. I know you don't want me to end up with a 'tubby belly' so I think you owe it to me to help me do a bit of 'exercise' since your meatloaf was the cause of my overeating."

"Exactly what kind of 'exercise' are you talking about?" Marissa asked smiling as she could see where this was going.

"The sort that doesn't require clothes." He replied as he stood and pulled her up with him.

"Mmmm. I can probably help with that." She replied as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head to hers. As their lips met, they both felt the sparks shoot through their veins. The kiss started slowly but soon intensified. Tongues probing and thrusting as they both sort to get even closer to one another, their bodies now pressed together, hips grinding, seeking the ultimate release. Ryan picked Marissa up and she wrapped her legs around him never breaking contact with his mouth. He carried her in to the bedroom and placed her gently on the bed. Ryan slowly rid Marissa of her clothes, trailing kisses over her as each part of her body became exposed to him. Slowly, tenderly, he moved his mouth over her until she lay writhing on the bed and grasping at his clothes to get them off. He stood and shed them in moments and joined her until they both cried out with release.


	49. Ryan and Seth face new challenges

_Thanks for the reviews. As I have said before - the faster you reply - the faster I'll post again. At least as long as the site lets me. It does seem to die occassionally and for that I'm sorry. I do try. But there is plenty coming up for our favourite couple._ _So enjoy !_

**Ryan and Seth face new challenges**

Tuesday morning, Ryan stood in the lift at work waiting to get to his floor wondering all the time just what the day would bring. Besides the mountain of work he had to get through and somehow convincing Seth that he needed to propose to Summer in Miami, he was also concerned about what Annabel would be like today.

The lift doors opened and he emerged wondering just what he would find. But he was pleasantly surprised. Annabel was sitting behind her desk and certainly the top she was wearing was skin tight and left nothing to the imagination but at least it covered up a lot more than what she had worn yesterday. Her erect nipples may have been obvious pushing through the fabric but at least that was a lot better than yesterday when they'd been in danger of falling out and being clearly visible. Ryan started to relax and thought to himself that he was glad that he hadn't made too much out of it.

Annabel greeted him warmly. "Good morning Ryan."

"Good morning Annabel." He replied as he made his way passed her desk.

"I've left the morning post on your desk and I'll bring in a fresh mug of coffee as soon as it's ready." She informed him.

"Thank you." He nodded and walked into his office. Maybe things were going back to normal … finally.

He sat at his desk and started to go through the mail and then looked up when Annabel walked in with his coffee. He felt his eyes literally bulge as he realised that her skirt, if you could call it that, was the shortest he'd ever seen. Hell he was sure he'd seen her wear belts that were wider.

Annabel smiled as she noticed the look on Ryan's face. She'd figured after yesterday that maybe Ryan was more of a 'legs man' and so this morning, she had dressed accordingly. It certainly seemed as if she was getting a good reaction. "Here's your coffee." She placed it on the desk.

"Um. Thanks." Ryan picked up the coffee wanting to do something…anything that would distract him from what was in front of him. He took a large gulp needing to steady himself and then spat it out immediately as the burning liquid scalded his mouth.

Annabel smiled and made her way over to a cupboard at the far side of his office and took out some paper towel and moved back to try to clean up Ryan's desk. He was still coughing trying to recover from his blistered mouth.

She moved around beside him and patted at the documents on the desk in front of him and then reached over to get some of the spilt coffee that had travelled a little further.

Ryan gulped again as he realised that he could actually see that she was wearing a red thong as she bent forward. He didn't know what to do or where to look. His eyes kept being drawn back to the expanse of naked flesh on view.

"I can do it. Thanks." He managed to get out, grabbing the paper towel from her hand.

"No problem" she smiled and turned to leave the room thinking to herself he was definitely a 'legs man'.

Ryan shook his head. So much for the notion that things were back to normal. Where was he supposed to go from here? He had no idea where to start. What to say? After contemplating it for a short time he decided to postpone it and talk to Seth first. At least he had a clear idea of what he was trying to do there. He dialled the number and waited for Seth to answer.

"Yo bro? Wassup?" Seth answered.

Ryan shook his head. It was obviously going to be one of 'those days'. "Good morning Seth. And how are you?" Ryan responded hoping that if he answered like a mature adult that Seth would answer in kind.

"Man. When are you going to get in the groove? It's like you're old before your time."

"Seth. Just because I don't act like I'm still 14, and I've stopped reading comics doesn't mean I'm old." Ryan wondered why he was even trying. How could he have ever imagined that Seth was ready for marriage?

"Yeah whatever." Seth smiled to himself. He loved to play these little games with Ryan.

"Whoa…Good come back."

"Okay then. Ryan my favourite brother. How are you on this fine morning?" Seth changed his tune completely.

"One extreme to the other hey. I sure there's a medical name for people like you." Ryan suggested.

"Would that be genius?" Seth asked brightly.

"Not likely. Remember we're not blood brothers, so I can't have handed that down to you." Ryan couldn't help himself. Much as he didn't want to join in with Seth's silly games, he knew he couldn't resist.

"Oh. Touché. Ryan. All this sharpening of your rod has obviously sharpened you wit as well. I'll have to compliment Marissa." Seth teased Ryan waiting for the reaction.

"You just leave Marissa alone. You've got your own woman to worry about." Ryan replied knowing that any mention of Summer would make Seth change tack.

"Summer? Why should I be worried about Summer? She's putty in my hands. Speaking of which I gather you must be pretty good with your hands …..and other parts of your anatomy as well from what I hear." Seth didn't want to give up too easily when he had obviously touched on something that Ryan was sensitive about. I mean what were brothers for?

"Seth. A brother should know where to stop." Ryan suggested.

"I think a brother should share the knowledge. Not that I don't know what I'm doing. But unlike some, I'm willing to admit that I don't know everything. You know, maybe I could learn a few new tricks and I'm always prepared to listen to new ideas."

"Good. Because I've got one for you." This was the perfect opportunity for Ryan.

"You have? I didn't think you'd ever give your secrets away?" Seth was surprised. He knew Summer would be more than willing to try out one of Ryan's 'ideas'. He wondered would it be a new technique …a new position….he didn't really mind. If all the stories about Ryan were true, then it was sure to be good anyway.

"Who said anything about secrets? I said I had an idea for you." Ryan shook his head. He really wasn't following Seth this morning.

"Which is?" Seth said while glancing at the clock on the wall. "Aw shoot. I'm late for meeting downtown. Can I call you back and continue this discussion?"

"Sure. Or better yet, if you're coming downtown….why don't you drop by when you've finished with your meeting?" Ryan suggested.

"Okay. I probably be a couple of hours. Save me a muffin. Gotta go…. Bro." Seth laughed at his little rhyme as he hung up.

"Bye" Ryan shook his head and hung up. How was he ever going to manage to pull this off?

---

Ryan managed to get a couple of hours of work done before Seth walked in with a grin from ear to ear.

"What's with Annabel? She's in a good mood today." Seth asked.

Ryan sighed. "I have no idea. Why? What did she say to you?" Ryan assumed she hadn't actually revealed herself to Seth or he was sure Seth would have had more to say.

"Not much I guess. But she had a grin from ear to ear. You would have thought that she'd won the lottery."

Ryan shook his head. "Did you ask her to bring in coffee?"

"Yeah. And muffins of course. You don't think I came here just to see you?" he said as he seated himself in the chair in front of Ryan's desk.

Ryan smiled. He couldn't wait to see Seth's reaction to what Annabel was wearing.

He didn't have to wait long as Annabel walked through the door carrying a tray with 2 mugs of coffee and a plate with some muffins on. As she lent over slightly, to place the tray on the edge of Ryan's desk, Ryan looked across at Seth who was sitting slightly behind her. Ryan knew that Seth would have gotten a real eyeful and he watched as Seth's jaw dropped and his eyes bugged out. He was obviously in shock.

Looking at Seth, Ryan desperately wanted to burst out laughing but he knew he had to hold it together until Annabel had left the room. He looked at her and said "Thanks. We'll take it from here."

Annabel gave him one of her biggest smiles. "Are you sure there's nothing else I can do for you?" she replied huskily.

Ryan shook his head. Was he just imaging it or had her voice actually changed? That simple question had sounded sexy and suggestive. He really needed to get this sorted out. "No. We're fine. Just close the door on your way out if you could."

"Sure. But I'll be just outside if you need ….. anything." Annabel replied.

"Uh huh." Ryan replied looking back at Seth whose jaw looked like it had dislocated it had dropped so far down.

Ryan watched the door close behind her and then turned to Seth who was still sitting there stunned. He had been expecting Seth to explode with laughter or something but certainly not silence. Seth was never lost for words. "Well?" Ryan prompted him. For some reason a silent Seth was even harder to cope with than the normal one.

Seth started to shake his head, still unable to find words.

"Seth! Snap out of it. I need some help here…... Can't you see that?" Ryan asked.

"I…..I….." Seth stammered. "I….I….."

"SETH!" Ryan said again trying to shock him out of his trance like state.

"I … saw everything. And I mean everything." Seth finally managed to get out. "And, tell me if I'm wrong here … but when she asked was there anything else she could do for you?"

"Yeah?" Ryan knew he wasn't going to like the rest of this.

"It actually sounded like she was offering to do….you." Seth stated.

"I know. I picked up on that too." Ryan answered, totally uncomfortable about what was going on.

Now that Seth had started to get over the initial shock he was starting to see the funny side of it all. Especially the fact that Ryan was so obviously uncomfortable with it all. "I even think if you asked nicely then she might actually do me as well."

"Seth, no one will be 'doing' anyone."

"But...I mean…Did you see that……. I was going to say skirt but I actually don't think it was big enough to be called a skirt? But it was nice of her to wear a matching thong. I mean if it had clashed then….. Maybe the thong was what she was actually wearing and the other thing was just a sash…you know like an accessory." Seth suggested.

Ryan glared at him. This was more the reaction he had expected.

"So what has brought all this on?" Seth asked. "Is it just a 1 day wonder or have skirts become optional at Atwood industries. I know I've never seen you in one." He teased Ryan.

"You know I can still give you a dead arm."

"You wouldn't?" Seth said not really sure.

Ryan gave him the look that said 'try me'. "I'm glad you think this is funny. But I assure you it isn't. Yesterday she basically left her top at home. Ask your dad about it?"

"What my dad was here?" Seth responded surprised.

"Yep" Ryan nodded.

"And what exactly did he see?" Seth wished he had been around. He'd have to have a talk to his father about it later.

"Pretty much everything. She didn't leave much to the imagination." Ryan added.

'Yeah…Well I can see you have a real problem…..I feel really bad for you….." Seth said smiling at his obviously un-genuine remarks.

"Well what am I to do?" Ryan asked.

"What besides run for your life?" Seth asked.

"Yeah." Ryan looked over at Seth hoping that for once he would take this seriously and come up with something constructive.

Seth shrugged his shoulders and suggested. "Get Marissa to scratch her eyes out. I'm gathering that that is what this is all about. Marking out territory and all that?"

"I don't know…..Maybe…." Ryan shrugged. "I can't think of anything else."

"Yeah. Well, what does Marissa think?" Seth asked.

"She doesn't really know." Ryan admitted. "I mean she suspects that Annabel may ….." he shrugged not wanting to finish the sentence but knowing he had to "…be ...interested…in me. That's why Marissa's trying to set her up with Skip tomorrow night."

"Oh boy. This just gets better and better. I assure you…. from the looks of things, she's way past interested. I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow night with Skip. But really I think you need to tell Marissa about what's going on here. I mean, why haven't you?"

"I don't know. I guess I was hoping that yesterday was just some sort of weird 'full-moon' type occurrence and that everything would be back to normal today…But ..."

"Yeah…definitely not normal." Seth added.

"Well what do you suggest? I can't let her walk around like this all day but how can I raise the problem with her?" Ryan asked.

"It won't be just problems she'll be raising if she walks around dressed like that. If you know what I mean?" Seth suggested rubbing his own crotch as he spoke ... feeling the stiffening apparent there. "Let's face it, she is a very attractive young lady."

"Yeah…thanks for that." Ryan replied.

"Well what are you going to do?" Seth asked.

"I don't know. I thought you might have some ideas." Ryan suggested.

"Yeah. I have." Seth raised his eyebrows making sure Ryan knew exactly what he was talking about. "But Summer would kill me." Seth chuckled. He stood up and made his way across the room to look out the window. "No wonder you wanted me to drop by. I would never have forgiven you if you hadn't shared this with me." He laughed.

"Believe it or not, that actually wasn't why I wanted to talk to you?" Ryan began, trying to get the conversation back on track.

"What there's more? I can't wait." Seth turned to look back at Ryan waiting for what could possibly be next.

"This has nothing to do with Annabel." Ryan assured him.

"Pity. So what is it?" Seth asked.

"Well. Maybe you should sit back down. That way you can't fall down when I tell you."

---

After Seth had left, Ryan made sure that Annabel had no reason to leave the office for the rest of the day. He actually postponed giving her anything to do that would require her going to another part of the building. He even asked her to work through her lunch hour to make sure that she wasn't walking around for all to see. Little did he know that Annabel was very happy to do that? Not only did she get to spend more time with Ryan but he had told her that since he wouldn't be in the office on Wednesday, she could have the day off and she planned to use it to pamper herself and buy a new dress for the dinner.

Ryan debated trying to talk to her about what she was wearing but he really didn't know where to start. And the fact was …she was very good at her job. He didn't want to risk saying the wrong thing and causing problems between them. And he certainly didn't want her to take offence at something he said and resign. He'd had a few secretaries before her and none of them had been anywhere near as good. Maybe he would try talking to Marissa about it and see what she suggested. It wouldn't be a problem tomorrow because he was going to be on site all day so he wouldn't need to see her until tomorrow night. Surely she wouldn't wear something inappropriate to dinner?

At least Seth had seemed to like Ryan's suggestion about the proposal for the weekend. After his initial shock, he had come around. They had talked for a while and tossed around some ideas. Seth wanted it to be something special. Something unique, that no one else would think of and something that Summer would remember forever. Ryan assured him that everything that Seth did was unique; that no one was quite like Seth. But Seth figured that they had been together for so long now that everyone just expected them to get married. He wanted this proposal to be unexpected. No candles and rose petals. Too predictable and she'd see it coming if he tried anything like that. Ryan had been starting to think they would never come up with anything that would do and that the opportunity would pass them by when he'd had an idea that even Seth was happy with. Ryan had made a couple of calls to contacts that he had and hopefully everything would be in place for them by the time they arrived in Miami. Ryan smiled to himself. Little did Seth know that Ryan and Marissa wanted Summer to say yes just as much as Seth would.


	50. The guests arrive

_So it's time for the dinner party. Let the fun begin ! Remember - read - review and I'll keep posting. Enjoy !_

**The guests arrive**

Marissa rushed home from work on Wednesday to get things organised for the dinner party. She had made chocolate mousse the night before and it was safely chilling in the fridge so she just had to get the meatloaf in the oven and do the vegetables. When everything was under control, she set the table and then went and took a shower wanting to be ready well before anyone else arrived.

Summer had mentioned in the car this morning about Seth's visit to Ryan yesterday. She wondered why Ryan hadn't told her about Annabel's state of dress or lack there of … but she didn't want to make too much of it. She had decided that she would talk to him about it when she had a chance. She could only see two possible reasons why he would stay quiet. One was that he didn't want to worry her and two was……well she didn't want to think about two. She knew she had to believe that everything was fine with them and that she needed to have confidence in their relationship. She didn't want to come across as the jealous girlfriend but…… the fact was… she was just a teensy bit jealous; mostly of the fact that Annabel got to spend everyday with him. But then, Marissa got to spend every night and she knew which one of those options she would prefer if given the chance. She just needed to make sure that Ryan understood that they should talk about everything this time around.

She was just drying herself after her shower when she heard Ryan come in the door.

"Hey Ris. Where are you?" he called.

"In here." She called out as she wrapped a towel around her and walked in to her walk in robe looking for something to wear.

Ryan entered the bedroom and dropped his jacket on the chair. "I really need a shower. I've been on site all day and I'm filthy." He remarked as he walked over to give her a kiss. It started casually but soon warmed up. "Mmmm. Care to join me?"

"Can't you tell? I've just finished." Marissa smiled.

"Really?" he looked at her more carefully. "You still look a little dirty to me." He suggested.

Marissa knew exactly what he was up to. "Where am I still dirty?" she asked looking at her arms and legs as if trying to find somewhere she'd missed.

While she'd been inspecting herself Ryan had shed his jeans and shirt and was standing naked before her. He picked up his dusty shirt from the floor and wiped it down her arm leaving a streak of grime as the dust stuck to the body lotion that she had just rubbed in to her body. "Right there." He smiled and said. He tugged at the towel wrapped around her and as it fell to the floor he picked her up and moved back into the bathroom.

Marissa looked at him and felt the chuckle start in her belly only to be replaced by a completely different feeling as she melted in to him. "You do know that we have people coming in an hour?"

"Uh huh. We'll just have to make it quick."

---

Seth and Summer were the first to arrive. Ryan poured them a drink and then he and Seth went to catch up with some playstation while Summer joined Marissa in the kitchen as she put the finishing touches to the meal.

"So did you ask Ryan about what was the deal with Annabel yesterday?" Summer asked.

"Uh. No. I haven't had a chance." Marissa replied awkwardly.

Summer was surprised. When she was talking to Marissa earlier, she had thought that Marissa was very keen to get everything sorted out with Ryan before Annabel arrived. "Did Chino only just get home?" Summer asked. Maybe they just hadn't had the opportunity yet.

"No. He got home about an hour ago." Marissa answered automatically as she stirred the gravy. She looked up at Summer and realised that she would put two and two together. Marissa wondered what was going to come next.

Summer stared at Marissa, taking in the rosy glow that she had assumed was from either good make up or working over the stove in the kitchen but now she suspected was all natural…..or maybe au natural might be closer to what was the cause. She doubted that clothes had been involved. She sighed and shook her head. "God. You've been doing it again. Haven't you?" Summer stated.

Marissa felt the blush move up from her toes to the tip of her head.

"You do realise there is such a thing as talking. You do it with clothes on. Or at least I think you should. That way you wouldn't get distracted. How are you ever going to sort this out if you spend all your time with him lying on your back?" Summer stated.

"Um." Marissa looked up shyly. "I wasn't on my back."

"Well then in bed." Summer added thinking it really didn't matter who was on top.

"We weren't in bed." Marissa added.

Summer glanced around her as if somehow the place had just become contaminated. Thoughts of Ryan coming home to Marissa who was busy in the kitchen and them doing it right then and there flooded her mind. "I really don't think I need to know." Summer shook her head. "Unless of course I'm likely to be touching…..Ewww….I can't even think about it."

Marissa smiled. "Don't worry. Unless you're planning on taking a shower, you're safe."

"Thank god. You really had me worried." Summer relaxed back against the kitchen counter.

Marissa couldn't help but smile wondering what Summer would do if she knew that they had previously 'christened' the kitchen counter that Summer was leaning against.

Summer noticed the grin on Marissa's face but decided it was probably better not to know what it was about. "But what about the talk?"

"Don't worry. We'll have it. We just……" Marissa wondered how she could explain to Summer the effect Ryan had on her. "…. missed each other?" Marissa suggested wondering if Summer would believe her.

"Uh huh" Summer nodded just as the door bell went. "Do you want me to get that?" she asked.

"No. I think Ryan should probably go. It might be Annabel. Ry?" she called out.

"Yep. I'm on my way." he called out as he made his way to the door.

"Summer?" Seth yelled from in front of the playstation. "Come here. Ryan's left and I've got no one to play with."

Summer rolled her eyes at Marissa. "He really isn't getting any better is he? If you don't need me here then I'd better go and keep him company, otherwise he'll keep whingeing."

"No. I'm under control. Go look after your man." Marissa replied.

"Wise words. Just make sure you do the same this evening. Or was that what you were doing in the shower?" Summer stated smiling as she left the kitchen.

Marissa returned the smile as her friend left … wondering just what the evening would bring. It had seemed like such a good idea on Friday night when she had asked Annabel to dinner but right now she was starting to wonder if she might be making a big mistake.

---

Ryan opened the door to Skip who had his arms full.

"Hey man. What's with all this?" Ryan asked as Skip handed him a bottle of wine and then Ryan went to take the flowers Skip was holding.

"No you don't. They're for the lady of the house. I'm hoping that when I give them to her, she'll love them so much that she'll feel that she needs to show her appreciation by falling into my arms. I certainly don't want that sort of reaction from you." He laughed.

Ryan just smiled. "No fear of that. And chocolates too?" Ryan commented.

"Well you know what they say about chocolates?" Skip asked.

"I'm assuming you're referring to their aphrodisiac qualities?" Ryan suggested.

"Of course. Who knows? Maybe after I get her to fall into my arms then…" Skip suggested.

"So you're saying they're not for me either?" Ryan asked innocently.

"Not likely." Skip replied as Ryan indicated for him to go through in to the kitchen.

"Well, you'd better not let Seth see them or you could be in for more than you've bargained for." Ryan suggested.

"Seth. Why?" Skip asked.

"Because he loves chocolate. I'm sure he'd be willing to fall into your arms for a few soft centres." Ryan suggested.

"Name me one man who wouldn't." Skip suggested; his eyes indicating that he had stopped talking about chocolates and was referring to something completely different. "But I'll definitely keep them away from Seth. I don't want him getting any wrong ideas."

"Hey you." Marissa said as they walked into the kitchen.

"Hey there lovely lady. Is it possible that you are even more beautiful than the last time I saw you?" Skip asked causing Marissa to smile. "These are for you." he said as he handed her the flowers.

"Why thank you" Marissa replied as she gave him a friendly hug.

Skip looked over her shoulder at Ryan. "Not exactly what I was hoping for but better than nothing." He remarked to Ryan as then he pulled back and smiled at Marissa. "But somehow now, I don't think they are enough. They fail by comparison to your beauty." Skip added.

Ryan smiled watching his friend make an idiot of himself in front of Marissa. "Excuse me, I think I'm going to be sick."

"Then go. By all means. I'll look after your woman for you. It's the least I can do." Skip suggested.

"You just leave my woman alone." Ryan replied.

"And these are for you too." Skip added as he placed the chocolates on the bench.

"Chocolates as well. I am spoilt." Marissa smiled.

Ryan moved to take Marissa in his arms just to make sure that Skip knew that nothing had changed and he whispered softly in her ear "I like soft centres…. especially your soft centre." He kissed her sweetly, and then just to make sure she knew exactly what he was talking about he ran his hand down her back and over her rear and cupped her buttock in his hand gently.

Marissa melted as she felt his hand on her. She looked at him and whispered back. "I like you hard. I mean them hard." She corrected herself whilst giving Ryan a look that indicated that she would eat him right now if they didn't have company.

Ryan moved to whisper in her ear again. "If you keep looking at me like that, I'll be hard very shortly." He said and nuzzled her neck.

Skip watched his friend and marvelled at the change in him in such a short space of time. Sure he had heard about Marissa long before he had met her and it had been obvious when Ryan had spoken about her that he was still deeply in love with her. But Skip still hadn't been prepared for the glow that appeared whenever they were around one another. That was what every man wanted but few ever found.

---

"So what would you like to drink?" Ryan asked.

"Bundy and Coke if you've got it?" Skip replied.

"Ah. Aussie rot gut. I'm sure you've left enough of it here to last a lifetime. You know, I really do think it destroys brain cells." Ryan stated. "That's probably why you're the way you are?" he smiled at Skip waiting for his reaction.

"Nah. Nectar of the Gods. You know I used to be unattractive before I started drinking it. And look at me know."

"I think you must have already been drinking it, if you think you're not unattractive." Ryan laughed.

"Aw that hurts." Skip clutched at his heart and then smiled. "You do know it only destroys brain cells if you drink it like a fish?"

"And do you know any other way?" Ryan asked.

"I'll have you know that when I'm in mixed company, I can be on my best behaviour. Just because you and I have tied on a few on our 'boys night outs' doesn't mean I'm like that all the time." Skip teased his friend.

"'Boys night outs' hey? I think I need to know more about these." Marissa interrupted.

"Now look what you've done Skip. I'm going to be in trouble and it's all your fault." Ryan stated. He looked at Marissa. "Maybe you could punish me later. When all our guests have gone?" Ryan suggested to her, his voice husky making it obvious he would look forward to it.

Marissa said nothing but smiled as thoughts of how to 'punish' Ryan went through her head.

Ryan got lost in her eyes for a moment as they both suddenly wished that they were all alone.

"Ahem." Skip said to break the moment between them. "My drink? A man could die of thirst around here."

Startled, Ryan jumped then smiled at his friend "Okay I'll go and get your drink now. Just behave yourself while I'm gone. Or better still, maybe you should come with me?" Ryan suggested.

"Nah. I'm fine. I'd rather hang with Marissa." Skip replied.

"I know you would. That's what's worrying me."

---

"So you and Ryan?" Skip asked.

"Yeah." Marissa smiled. Just thinking about him could do that to her.

"It's all good?" Skip enquired. He didn't know why but Marissa just seemed a little off….. like maybe she was worried about something.

"Um…" Marissa couldn't help but think of Annabel and the fact that she still hadn't had an opportunity to talk to Ryan about her. And the fact that she would be arriving any minute didn't help. She really should have stopped him earlier when he got home from work, so they could have talked. But she just couldn't help herself. Marissa had got lost in her thoughts and she looked up only to realise that Skip was still waiting for her answer. "Yeah ….it's good." She reassured him.

"Not buying it. Do you want to share?" He asked.

"No. I'm sure I'm just being silly." Marissa assured him again. She thought for a moment. "And anyhow if you use your charm on her tonight then maybe it won't be a problem anymore."

"Her? Who? Ryan's secretary." Skip asked.

"Yeah. Annabel. I know I'm probably over-reacting and I don't want to come across as the jealous girlfriend but I have the distinct impression that she has a bit of a thing for him. I tried to make it clear to her last week that Ryan and I are together; thinking that she would back off. But I've heard that she has started dressing rather……provocatively at work. I'm a bit afraid that she's not going to give up without a fight. That's where you come in. I'm hoping she falls head over heels for you and then she'll leave Ryan alone." Marissa added.

"Well. I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. At least from Ryan's side. That boy is head over heels. But the rest is news to me. Ryan told me I was being set up but I didn't realise that it was to make a triangle into a square." Skip replied.

"Not a square. Two straight lines is what I'd like, that don't intersect." Marissa added.

"Yeah see I'm not so good with that drawing stuff. That's why Ryan's the architect and I'm the pilot."

Marissa laughed.

"Well I'll have to see what I can do. So what's she like?" Skip asked.

"You'll see. She's very attractive. I don't think you'll have any complaints there and she's certainly intelligent. She's not going to just fall for your cheesy lines." Marissa assured him.

"Ahh. I'm offended. I might have to take myself off with a fit of the vapours." He replied hamming it up.

"What are you two up to?" Ryan asked as he returned and passed Skip his drink.

Marissa and Skip just glanced at one another and burst out laughing.

"Nothing." Skip replied. He leant forward and whispered in Marissa's ear. "Let's just see how well my cheesy lines work on her."

Ryan looked at them wondering just what was going on and was about to ask when the doorbell went again.

He looked at Marissa and he was sure that he saw the same concern in her eyes that he felt. "Um. I'll just get the door."

"Let's move over to the doorway so I can get a look at this girl. Maybe we need to get a game plan." Skip suggested to Marissa.


	51. The Game Plan

**The Game Plan**

Ryan realised he was so concerned about what Annabel might be wearing that his palms were actually sweating. He wiped his hand hurriedly down the side of his jeans and opened the door. He was pleasantly surprised. Annabel stood before him dressed in a demure little black dress that fitted her curves snugly and with a draped cowl neckline that showed only a touch of cleavage. Her hair was still down but it had been pulled back to one side. Ryan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Annabel. Hi. Come on through." Ryan moved aside to let her enter.

Skip stood in the entrance to the kitchen with Marissa. "Well your right. She's definitely easy on the eyes but your wrong if you thought she was going to be dressed provocatively. You got my hopes up you know, and here she is in just a little black dress." He said as he watched Ryan greeting her.

Marissa smiled in agreement. Just pleased that perhaps she had over reacted to the whole thing. I mean she did only have Seth's comments to Summer to go on and everyone knew that Seth exaggerated everything. Marissa silently berated herself for ever giving any credence to the idea. She turned to walk back into the kitchen and she looked up at Skip wanting to apologise for having given him the wrong idea when all of a sudden his eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped. He was still looking towards the front door and Marissa didn't think she wanted to look back but knew she couldn't help herself.

Annabel had stepped in to the entry hall and lent forward to give Ryan a welcome kiss which he turned his head for; making sure that it barely glanced across his cheek. But when she moved it revealed a split in the side of the skirt that reached all the way to her waist.

"Wow. I think I'm going to enjoy this." Skip commented as he looked at the expanse of skin on her perfectly proportioned leg that went right from the floor up to….. it seemed like her arm pits he thought.

Annabel took a couple of steps towards where Marissa and Skip were standing and then turned back to say something to Ryan. Marissa gasped as she realised that Annabel's 'little black dress' basically had no back in it at all. The cowl at the front gave way to a deep v in the back that went down well below her waist. You could just see the top of her crack. She would have been showing less in a bikini.

"Oh. I'm definitely going to enjoy this." Skip added. He looked at Marissa and realised that she was seriously concerned. He lent forward and whispered in her ear. "Don't worry. Ryan's not interested in anyone but you. But I do think Miss Annabel needs to be taught a lesson. I've got an idea so just go with me. Okay?" he looked at Marissa who tried to smile but it was almost a grimace.

Ryan and Annabel joined them in the kitchen and Skip could see that Ryan was feeling very uncomfortable with the attention he was getting from Annabel who seemed unable to talk to him unless she was touching him. Skip decided he was going to enjoy putting this girl in her place.

"Skip…I'd like you to meet Annabel. Annabel…my friend Skip." Ryan said.

"Annabel..nice to meet you." Skip greeted her. He was amazed that standing quietly in front of him, her dress looked so prim and proper. It was only from behind or when she moved that you realised just how much of her you could see.

Annabel looked over Skip and liked what she saw. Sure he was no Ryan but then Ryan was one of a kind. But she sure wouldn't throw Skip back either. "Same here." Annabel smiled at him and then glanced at Ryan looking for his reaction but Ryan was looking at Marissa. Annabel glared at him. She had spent all morning shopping trying to find the perfect dress, something that was understated and yet would take his breathe away. When she had found this one she felt for sure that it was just what she needed. After all he was a legs man. She had spent a whole month's salary on it and she expected him to give her more than a passing glance. The only problem with it was that it had been impossible to find underwear that she could wear without some part of it being visible. She needed a g string for the split on the side but the dip in the back was so low that the top of the g string could be seen; so she'd had to just go without. There was a first time for everything and she was finding the feeling strangely liberating.

"I love your dress." Marissa stated. She made eye contact with Annabel and her look told Annabel the exact opposite and that Marissa knew exactly what she was doing.

"This old thing? Why thank you." Annabel gave Marissa the once over. Marissa had chosen to wear a tiered gypsy skirt with a lightly beaded peasant blouse. She looked pretty and casual. "I hope I haven't over dressed?" Annabel asked knowing that Ryan had told her it was casual.

"Hardly." Marissa replied curtly, thinking that if she was anymore under dressed she might as well have been in a bikini ….. or naked.

Ryan didn't like the way this was going. He looked at Skip who couldn't seem to take the smile off his face. It didn't look like he was going to be much help. Ryan turned to Annabel. "Can I get you something to drink?"

Annabel fluttered her eyelids a couple of times at him and answered "A white wine would be lovely."

"Sure …coming up." Ryan answered and made his way to the bar as fast as he could go.

Annabel and Marissa glared at one another neither saying a word.

Skip decided he better intervene before one of them dived across and started a cat fight. "Annabel. Have you been here before?" he asked.

"Um..yes. Just once." She replied.

"Well have you seen the view from the terrace?" he asked.

"No. I haven't" she replied not really interested.

"It's really something. Come and have a look?" Skip moved to lead her through to the open doors. He glanced at Marissa and as Annabel walked in front of him he smiled and gave her a thumb's up behind Annabel's back.

Marissa relaxed a little. Would Skip be able to work some magic she wondered?

---

Skip led Annabel out on to the terrace. It truly was an amazing picture before them. The lights of LA twinkled below.

They both stood there admiring the view for a couple of minutes. The silence lying between them. Finally Skip spoke. "So, I hope you don't think me forward. But I'm thinking that we could work well together."

Annabel looked at him surprised. "Excuse me but I hardly know you."

"Oh I know that. And unless I've read things wrongly, you don't really want to get to know me. You're only interest lays elsewhere." Skip suggested.

Annabel looked at him, surprised, but said nothing. She didn't want to give anything away and she certainly wasn't going to admit to anything. She wondered just where he was going with this.

"Okay so I take it that your silence confirms I'm right. Please stop me if that's not the case."

Still Annabel said nothing but continued to listen to him with interest. She couldn't wait to see where he was going with this. The silence between them grew until finally she said. "Maybe. Why?"

"Well…I'm thinking that since your interest lies with Ryan…."

Annabel said nothing but the hint of a smile appeared on her face which was all that Skip needed to convince him to continue. "….who has eyes only for Marissa…."

Annabel smarted as if she'd been physically injured by his words.

Skip hesitated for a moment wanting her to consider exactly what he'd said. "…. And mine lies with Marissa who has eyes only for Ryan….." Skip added.

Annabel was startled. This was a new piece of information that she hadn't been counting on. She turned it over in her mind wondering where he was going with all this. "Um…poor you." She commented.

"Thanks. But what I'm thinking is…. that… since neither of us seems to be getting anywhere at the moment ... that perhaps we could work together to try to make them jealous ... see if we have a chance of not? At least we'll know one way or the other." Skip looked across and noticed a flicker of interest in her eyes. Certainly she wasn't shutting him down. He waited a moment to let her think about it.

Finally Annabel said "How?"

"Well…I'm not exactly sure. I guess how far you want to take it depends on just how interested in Ryan you are."

"What do you mean?" Annabel asked.

"I mean, if it was just passing interest, then we could just flirt a bit and see what happens but if it's more than that…" he raised his eyebrows.

"I'm very interested." Annabel replied.

"Well in that case we might need to step it up a notch. Be a bit more physical. You know some touching along with the flirting, maybe a kiss here and there if the opportunity presents itself. They're not stupid, so we're going to have to sell the attraction otherwise they'll guess what we're doing. What do you think?"

Annabel looked at Skip. This was not at all what she had been expecting from the night. She had figured that the dress had been her trump card but Ryan barely seemed to have noticed so she certainly needed something else to try to get through to him….and Skip was cute…in a tall, lanky, kind of way…and she really liked the accent. There could be many worse things to do than spend the night in his company……Plus there was the added bonus that she would actually have an allay in this whole business. She'd been worried that if any of the other four realised what she was up to then things may have gotten awkward. So why not? What did she have to lose?

Skip was still looking at her, watching as she obviously thought it all through. He liked the fact that she wasn't a girl that would make rash decisions. Recently, the only girls he'd been out with had all been 'trolley dollies' from the airlines he worked with and they certainly had been decorative but without too much between the ears. Just glorified waitresses. This girl would be a pleasant change and, he guessed, quite a challenge. But it would be or could be … fun. And it would be helping out Ryan and Marissa as well… if he could manage to keep Annabel interested. Even if she wasn't interested, he could at least distract her until Ryan and Marissa were more 'comfortable' in their relationship. Although, thinking back to their behaviour in the kitchen, they already looked pretty 'comfortable'. He waited for Annabel to make her decision.

She looked at him and nodded. "Okay. So where do we go from here?"

Skip smiled. He figured he was going to enjoy this. "Well…I'm thinking that they are probably all watching us from inside right now wondering what we are talking about."

Annabel looked in the reflection of the glass doors and realised he was right. Boy… he was good at this. "So?" she asked.

"Well. I think you could perhaps act like you're a little chilly out here and I'd nicely offer to put my arm around you to give you some warmth." He smiled.

Annabel really wasn't sure about this. That smile of his. She wasn't quite sure if he was playing with her but then really what would be the harm in a cuddle. "Okay."

Skip put one arm around her shoulder and then moved behind her and pulled her in to him. He was so tall, he almost enveloped her…..But it felt good….really good. She looked out over the lights of LA with Skip's arms around her and for a moment she closed her eyes and took in the scent of him. It had been a long time since she'd had a man's arms around her. She had almost forgotten just how good it felt. She instinctively moved her head back until it touched him and then she glanced over her shoulder at him. He looked down at her and smiled. "See. It's not that bad is it?"

Annabel was a little embarrassed by just how much she was enjoying it. "No. It's….fine."

"Good. Then we'll just go from here. If I do anything that oversteps the mark just let me know. But let me tell you … that dress you're wearing almost dictates that I'm going to have to be making some …'improper' remarks. Just go with it and we'll see if we can't get some interest out of at least one if not the both of them."

"Okay." Annabel replied wondering what Skip would think if he knew that she wasn't wearing any underwear. Little did she know he'd already worked that out for himself.

---

Inside the other four were all talking and speculating about what was going on out on the balcony. Summer had convinced Seth to turn off the playstation and join the others.

"You don't really think so do you?" Summer asked Marissa.

"I'd bet my life on it. Well maybe not my life ….maybe Seth's." Marissa stated seething at the effrontery of Annabel in coming to their home dressed like that.

Seth looked up from talking with Ryan. "Did I hear my name being mentioned?"

"Yeah. Marissa just bet your life on the fact that Annabel has nothing on under her dress." Summer replied.

"What?" Seth looked back outside. All he could see was Skip's back.

"How would you know something like that?" Seth asked.

"Let me assure you. I know what underwear is available and what you can and can't wear under clothes and there is no way that she can have anything under that …..'thing'." Marissa stated angrily.

Ryan looked at Marissa. He wanted…no… he needed a minute alone with her. "I need you to help me a minute." He stated and pulled her towards the kitchen with him, leaving Seth and Summer still contemplating the two on the balcony.

"That skank." Summer stated. "I've got a good mind to go and tell her where…"

"Noo…I think I'd better investigate this." Seth said as he moved towards the door.

"You'll do no such thing." Summer said as she grabbed his arm. "You'll stay right here beside me. And if you put one foot out of line this evening, your life could be over no matter what Annabel's wearing."

"Aw. That's not fair. Why should Skip have all the fun?" Seth asked.

"May I remind you that from what you said, you had your 'fun' with Annabel yesterday and if you want to have 'fun' with me ever again then you'll behave tonight. Understand?" Summer threatened.

Seth hung his head. "Yeah….But does that mean if I am good tonight then I'm on a promise." He looked at Summer hopefully.

"Let's just see how good you are before I make any promises." Summer answered.

"I can be real good." Seth assured her smiling from ear to ear.

"What …have you been getting lessons from Chino?" Summer teased.

"No…. I tried…. but he wouldn't give up his secrets." Seth answered.

"What? You didn't?" Summer was dumbfounded. She had been joking when she had suggested it.

"Yeah. Of course I did. I mean if he's that good, I don't see why I shouldn't get him to give me a few pointers." Seth couldn't understand her bewilderment.

"Seth. That's totally out of line." Summer shook her head.

"What? Are you telling me that you and Marissa don't swap ideas about how to keep your men happy?"

"Well no….maybe….sometimes. But that's different. Girls talk about those sort of things. Boys don't. I can't imagine what Chino thought." Summer stated.

"He just thought it was me. It's not as if it's the first time. I've asked him for advice before." Seth commented nonchalantly.

"Argh. It gets worse." Summer looked at him. "Do I even want to know when?" she asked hesitating because she was almost scared of the answer.

"What do you think? Surely you still remember how well our first time went?" Seth suggested.

Summer blushed. She was petrified that Seth had told Ryan about her instigating Seth losing his virginity. "I can't cope with this right now, Cohen. If you want me to stay here and eat with these people then you'd better change the subject right now otherwise I'm outta here. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to look Chino in the eye again."

"I think you're over-reacting my petal but back to this dress of Annabel's…" Seth looked back outside wishing that Skip would move out of the way so that he could get a good look.

---

Ryan pulled Marissa around the corner of the kitchen and into the hall so that they were out of the view of any of their guests.

"Ry. What are you doing? I have to check on dinner." Marissa said.

Ryan pushed her up against the wall and placed a hand either side of her head while he looked her deeply in the eyes. "I love you…..I just want you to know that….no matter what happens tonight…..that will never change." After seeing what Annabel was wearing he was worried what Marissa might think. He waited for her to reply or give some indication that his words had meant something to her.

Marissa relaxed as she looked into his eyes, reading everything in them that she needed to know. "Thank you" she replied. She leant towards him and brought her lips to his, wanting to show him just what his words meant to her right at this moment. She had been anxious before Annabel had arrived and then …having seen what she was wearing ….she had been so on edge she didn't know if she wanted to go to her room and cry or grab Annabel by the hair and scream at her.

Now…. with just a few words… Ryan had given her all the reassurance she had needed. She pulled back from the kiss. "I love you too."

Ryan smiled wanting desperately to take things further but knowing that their guests would be looking for them. "So let's get this over with so we can get rid of them."

Marissa laughed. "Ryan. They're out guests and they've only just got here."

"Yeah. But I just realised that I have other plans for the evening and they only require you." He replied.

"Mmmm that sounds interesting. You'll have to remember them and tell me about them later or better still show me." Marissa replied as she pulled him back into the kitchen. "But for now, go and get everyone to sit at the table and I'll serve dinner. As you said, the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get rid of them."

Ryan gave her a quick kiss on the way passed and smiled just thinking about the 'plans' he had in mind for later.


	52. The Dinner

_Remember - The faster you review then the faster I'll post. Enjoy !_

**The dinner**

Ryan guided the four guests into the dining room and they all hesitated not sure where to sit.

"Um..." he shrugged his shoulders "Sit wherever you like. I'm sure it doesn't matter." Ryan said as he went to the bar to get the wine for dinner.

Annabel quickly reasoned that Marissa would sit at the head of the table closest to the kitchen and hence Ryan would sit at the opposite end. So she moved to the seat that would be to Ryan's right knowing that then he would spend the entire evening looking at the split in her dress as it was down her left hand side. She knew that when she sat down the split would open so far that he couldn't possibly ignore it; he'd be faced with a large expanse of bare flesh all the way up to her waist. She'd spent a lot of time and money getting waxed and tanned and she intended to put it to good use. And also, she would be able to turn slightly in her seat every time she spoke to anyone else at the other end of the table and then, Ryan would be able to see the deep v of the back of her dress which would reveal more of her naked flesh to him. She knew it would leave little to the imagination. She smiled to herself thinking about what his reaction would be.

Skip noticed the look on Annabel's face and realised what she was up to. He quickly moved to the head of the table and said to Ryan "You don't mind if I sit at the end here do you? It's just, with legs as long as mine, I end up kicking people under the table, otherwise. At least if I'm at the end, I can always move back." Skip asked.

"Uh no. That's fine. Doesn't worry me." Ryan replied not really understanding Skip's logic.

Summer sat down opposite Annabel. She was already angry with her about what she was wearing and she knew that Annabel was trying to cause problems for Ryan and Marissa so the last thing she wanted was for Ryan to sit beside her and so she suggested to Seth "Why don't you sit beside Annabel? That way you can get to know her."

Seth had been about to sit beside Summer but glanced at her surprised. He thought that she had wanted him to stay away from Annabel but hey, he wasn't complaining. "Sure. I'd love to." He replied and moved around to take the seat beside Annabel. Summer glared at him because he seemed to have liked the idea a little too much and Seth looked at her confused. He figured he was just doing as she'd asked.

Summer glared across the table at Annabel. "I'm sure she sees enough of Ryan at work. She wouldn't want to have to sit beside her boss." Summer added wanting to put Annabel in her place and in turn make it quite clear to her what Summer believed the relationship was between Ryan and Annabel to be. She then glared back at Seth just wanting him to understand that she was making this sacrifice for Marissa and that it didn't mean that he was allowed to enjoy it. If he enjoyed it too much then he would be the one being sacrificed.

That left Ryan to sit beside Summer and Marissa at the opposite end of the table to Skip, between Ryan and Seth.

Marissa placed the last of the food on the table and sat down and said "Please help yourselves. There should be plenty of everything…. At least as long as you give the meatloaf to Ryan last." She said looking at him and smiling.

"Aw. So not fair." He replied as he reached and squeezed her leg under the table. All of a sudden he realised that he liked this seating arrangement. He could play with Marissa's leg under the table and no one would be any the wiser. He'd have to remember to thank Skip. He looked up at his friend and realised that he was chatting to Annabel. It certainly seemed as if they were getting along which was a huge bonus. Ryan had been worried. Really worried… when she had turned up in that dress. He knew he should have talked to Marissa about what had been going on at work. At least then she would have been prepared for it. He could see that she was upset by it and that was why he had taken her aside before dinner. Hopefully his reassurance would get her through the evening and then they could have a talk about it all. He watched Skip as he offered Annabel some meatloaf before putting some on his own plate. Ryan was surprised. He knew that Skip could get along with almost anyone. But he had thought it possible that Annabel may have been one of the exceptions. Thankfully it appeared that he had been wrong.

They were all fairly quiet as they were busily feeding themselves and everyone seemed to be enjoying the food.

Seth looked up from his dinner and said "Marissa this meat loaf is terrific. It tastes just like…"

"Nana Cohen's" Ryan finished for him.

"Yeah. That's what I was going to say." Seth added.

"That's because it is. Kirsten gave me the recipe the other day. She said it was one of Ryan's favourites. And I can assure you it is." Marissa replied.

"Ohhh. Well you're in trouble then." Seth suggested looking over at Ryan.

"Why? I've been good and not eaten too much." Ryan said looking at Marissa.

"I don't care about how much you eat – well as long as there is enough for me – but don't you remember? When you and Dad used to fight over it at home, you agreed with him that if you ever found someone who could make it, you would never let them go. Dad reckoned that you should get a ring on said female pronto." Seth suggested.

Ryan just smiled and looked at Marissa. They exchanged a look that showed everyone at the table that the idea appealed to them both.

"If someone gave me the recipe, then I'm sure I could make it. I'm a very good cook." Annabel interrupted with venom in her voice. It was almost as if she was challenging Marissa to a cook off, for Ryan's attentions.

Skip looked at the death glares coming from Summer and knew he had to do something before Summer exploded and he imagined that Marissa wouldn't be far behind.

He reached over under the table to squeeze Annabel's leg and get her attention. What he hadn't counted on was the fact that with the split in her dress having separated, as he reached for her he actually put his hand on her bare thigh and the feeling was …..all good. It was touch and go who was the more startled as Annabel felt his warm touch high on her thigh. She turned to look at him as he said. "I'm sure you could. And I would love to volunteer to be your guinea pig." Skip suggested.

Annabel looked at him and saw the message in his eyes. She realised that her previous little outburst was not at all what she was supposed to be doing. She would have to be more careful. "Well, if Marissa will give me the recipe then I'd love to make it for you. We could have a private dinner sometime?" She suggested.

Summer and Ryan looked stunned wondering how this change had suddenly come about. Marissa realised straight away that Skip was up to something and Seth just thought that Skip might be on the way to getting lucky.

---

"Maybe you should clear it with the Nana before you reveal her secret recipe to an 'OUTSIDER'." Summer suggested glaring at Annabel. It was obvious that Summer was not at all happy with the redhead sitting opposite her.

"We can ask her when we see her on the weekend." Seth suggested.

"The weekend?" Skip asked. "Is she coming to visit?" He had been asked to dinner at the Cohen's when the Nana was last in Newport and he thought she was great.

"No. We're all going to Miami. It's her 70th birthday and we're the surprise." Ryan added.

"Wow. That's great. Be sure to give her my best wishes." Skip added. "I gather you're not wanting my services?"

Ryan looked at him. "No. Sandy insisted he shout us and he has booked us all tickets on a commercial flight."

"Uh huh. So it wasn't because you didn't ….enjoy….yourself last week?" Skip asked watching the glances between Ryan and Marissa as they realised just what he referring to.

Seth was puzzled. "Ryan has never 'enjoyed' himself on a plane. You know he hates flying."

"I beg to differ. I'm fairly sure he 'enjoyed' himself last week. Didn't you Ryan?" Skip asked, knowing that Ryan was going to make him pay for this at some later time but unable to resist the opportunity to give his friend a hard time.

Ryan looked at Marissa who had started to blush as Skip had persisted with his line of questioning. He glared at Skip trying to get him to leave the topic alone.

"Well come on? I'd love to hear? Did I get it wrong? Wasn't it your most enjoyable flight ever?" Skip persisted.

"I can't imagine what you're talking about." Seth said frowning and looking at Skip and then at Ryan and wondering why he was being silent. "Ryan has never liked flying."

"Oh for crying out loud. He joined the Mile High Club Cohen. That's what Skip's getting at." Summer interjected.

"He what?" Seth stated surprised, wondering why he hadn't known about this. "Why wasn't I told? You lucky devil you."

"What's the mile high club? Is a type of Frequent Flyer club?" Annabel asked. "Can anybody join?"

There was silence around the table while they waited to see who would be the one to answer her.

Skip went to open his mouth only to be stopped by a death stare from Ryan. He thought for a moment and then said. "It's very exclusive. But I'd be happy to help you join, if you want to become a member." He smiled as every one else at the table held their breath.

"Skip." Ryan said sounding like a disapproving father.

"Why that would be lovely. Thank you." Annabel replied still none the wiser but pleased that Ryan seemed to be at least paying attention to her.

The others at the table all just looked stunned and then Seth couldn't help himself and he burst out laughing, only to be shortly followed by all the others.

Annabel was not stupid and she realised that there was some sort of private joke going on that she wasn't part of. She looked at Skip who was supposed to be her allay and asked. "What's so funny?"

He leaned over to whisper in her ear, thinking he would rather tell her in private but this would have to do. He put his hand on her back to pull her in closer and his hand hit her skin. There was no material there at all and he realised that he loved the feel of her bare skin under his fingertips. "It means he had s. e. x. on the plane while it was up in the air."

Annabel gasped and then looked at all the others around the table before she let her eyes rest on Ryan who was definitely starting to blush. She had never seen him look so uncomfortable.

Marissa could feel herself burning up by this point and excused herself and fled to the kitchen.

Annabel was stunned and then she looked back at Skip and realised just what he had suggested to her and was about to tell him where to go when she realised that he was just giving her the opportunity to really test Ryan out. Ryan had tried to censure Skip after Skip had offered to help her join so maybe she would continue and see whether Ryan would get really jealous.

She turned her back on the rest of them and looked at Skip. "So exactly when can I join?" she said huskily and just loud enough to make sure that everyone at the table could hear.

Seth had just taken a mouthful of red wine and when he heard Annabel's reply he couldn't help but spit it out as he sprayed the table and Ryan with the dark crimson liquid.

"Excuse me. Sorry about that Ryan but I mean…." He looked at Summer. "How come she is willing and yet you've never let me…"

"Seth. If you want to live another day, I think you should stop before you say another thing." Summer said.

"But Skip's only just met…." Seth continued still trying to put his point forward.

"I don't care what Skip does…..or Annabel for that matter." She turned to Skip. "You do know that he is now going to whinge the whole way to Miami and back thinking that he is missing out on something that both you guys have experienced."

Skip smiled. "Well maybe you could…"

"No! And let me think….ah No! It's not happening so don't even go there. Understand?" Summer said to Seth.

"I guess so." Seth replied putting on his very best 'sad' face. "But tell me Skip, since it seems that I'm never going to get to join said club…" he glared at Summer. "Is it really that good?"

"Well maybe you should ask Ryan and Marissa. After all, they are the newest inductees." Skip suggested and all eyes turned to Ryan since Marissa had still not returned from the kitchen.

Ryan instantly stood up and collected the rest of the plates. "I'm just going to take these to the kitchen and put on a clean shirt. I'll be back in a minute." As he got to the door he turned and added. "And Skip… behave yourself."

As he walked out the door the four that were left at the table, all laughed at the obvious embarrassment of their host.

---

Ryan walked into the kitchen and placed the plates on the counter and then proceeded to take off his shirt.

"What happened to you? Not that I'm complaining mind you. I just thought we should wait until our guests have left." Marissa asked admiring his naked torso and then looked at Ryan and realised that he wasn't in the best of moods. Something had obviously happened.

"Nothing." Ryan just shook his head. "Just Seth. He couldn't quite control himself. I'm just going to get a clean shirt and then I think I'd better try to have a quiet word with Skip. I mean what's with him? He's not usually like this? Fancy telling Annabel he'll introduce her to the mile high club. I mean, I had hoped that he and Annabel would get along but I think that comment was ….highly inappropriate. I can't believe he actually suggested it?" Ryan said as he walked off in to the bedroom looking for a clean shirt.

Marissa followed him and once inside the bedroom she said. "Ry." She looked at him guiltily.

He turned, surprised that she had followed him. "Yeah."

"Well….um…." Marissa didn't know where to start.

Ryan could see how uncomfortable she was and he couldn't think what she could be so concerned about. If it was because of Skip mentioning their exploits on the plane last week in front of everyone then he would have another reason to have words with Skip. "Ris what is it?"

"It's just…..I think I might be responsible for Skip's behaviour. So don't be too hard on him." Marissa came out and said.

"How can you be responsible for what he's been up to?" Ryan wondered.

"Well…I was telling him earlier that….." she stopped. She didn't want to admit to being jealous. It was like telling Ryan that she didn't have confidence in their relationship and that she thought that Annabel could come between them.

Ryan started to worry. It was obvious that whatever Marissa was about to say, she was having difficulty with, which meant that she probably knew that he wasn't going to like it. What could it possibly be? "Ris….just out with it."

"Well… I was telling him earlier that I thought that Annabel might have had a ….. bit of a thing for you. And that I hoped that he would sweep her off her feet so that she wouldn't or couldn't cause any problems between us." Marissa looked at Ryan wondering how he would take her admission. She quickly added as explanation. "Summer had told me about how Annabel had been dressing provocatively at work and well….I guess I was feeling a little insecure and maybe…. just a little jealous." She admitted looking at him to see how he would react.

Ryan took in everything she'd said. So she had already known about Annabel's clothing choices at work. Now Ryan felt bad that he hadn't talked to her about it before this. In trying to stop Marissa from worrying he had only made things worse. Now the guilty feeling was with him. If only he had come clean in the first place then he could have removed all her insecurities and they wouldn't be in this predicament.

He still hadn't said anything and Marissa was starting to worry and began again. "I'm sorry I was jealous. I do trust you. It's just…." Her words were cut off by Ryan's lips taking over her mouth; his tongue dancing with hers as he tried once again to assure her of his love.

He pulled back. "You don't ever need to be jealous. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you about it all. I guess I was just hoping that she would get the message and everything would go back to normal. But looking at that dress tonight, I guess that's not about to happen. But what does all this have to do with Skip?" Ryan asked.

"Well ….I think he has some sort of plan to try to help me or us…" she looked shyly at Ryan.

"Us" Ryan assured her.

Marissa smiled. "…and that's why he is acting the way he is. I'm guessing he's trying to make sure that she realises that we are together and that's why he brought up the flight from last week. But as for propositioning her, that I don't really understand. But I think you should at least talk to him and let him explain first before you have your 'word' with him."

Ryan finished doing up the buttons on his clean shirt. "Okay. Point taken. I guess if he is doing all this for us then I'd better hear him out. Mind you he doesn't exactly look like he is torturing himself in the process. In fact, I think he's having the time of his life. But if you're right and Skip's doing all this to help us out then, I don't think it could hurt us to be extra affectionate tonight." Ryan looked at Marissa. "You know, just to let Annabel know that we're definitely a done deal." He gave her his half smile and she melted.

"I think I could do that." Marissa smiled.

"I didn't exactly mean 'that'" Ryan said with a twinkle in his eye. "At least not until they have all left."

Marissa laughed. "You know that Summer will gag and give us a hard time if we are all over one another?"

"I can cope with that. Especially if it means I get a little more attention from you." Ryan added. "But come on we'd better get back out there or they'll send in the search party. Seth's sure to be looking for dessert by now." Ryan said as he put his arm around her and they made their way back to the kitchen.

He didn't think it was a good idea to leave their guests alone for too long.


	53. The Dessert

_Okay, So I didn't think that I should keep you waiting for dessert. Enjoy!_

**Dessert**

Annabel was very happy with the way things were going. Sure she had been shocked once she had realised what Skip had actually been talking about with the Mile High Club but then again she was very pleased with Ryan's reaction. He obviously wasn't pleased with Skip propositioning her. So maybe the plan was working. She couldn't help but be disappointed with the news about what Ryan and Marissa had been up to on the flight last week but she was sure that she couldn't change that. She would just have to chalk that one up to Marissa but it didn't mean the fight was over just yet. And she did have the added bonus of having Skip on her side.

Initially she had been disappointed when Skip had sat beside her and not Ryan, but he had been a very pleasant surprise and she couldn't deny that whenever he touched her she could feel a warmth spread through her that put a smile on her face. The question was, was it because he was someone special or had it just been so long since she'd been touched, that she would have reacted that way to anyone? She wasn't sure. Either way, things were going great for her. She felt sorry for Skip, however. Marissa didn't seem to be at all jealous of the attention that he was giving Annabel. It looked like his plan wasn't working for him at least. But then Annabel thought that just maybe ….if things didn't work out with Ryan…. then she might be able to ease his pain. Either way … she was in a win win situation.

Dessert was served and eaten without any major problems. It was delicious and Seth was in raptures yet again about Marissa's Chocolate Mousse. Skip and Annabel seemed to be spending a lot of time talking quietly between one another and they seemed to always be touching. Annabel was delighted with the glares that Ryan was sending to Skip. But she wasn't quite so happy about the way that Ryan and Marissa seemed to be all over each other. Marissa was so obvious. She had offered to share her dessert with Ryan and had then taken to actually feeding it to him and when one spoonful was particularly large and it left a little on the side of his mouth then Marissa had lent over and used her tongue to clean up and lick it away. It grossed Annabel out and she'd had to turn her head away. Fortunately it had a similar affect on Summer and she had demanded they stop it before she puked. It was the only thing that she had agreed with Summer about all evening.

When they had all finished eating, Marissa suggested that they move in to the lounge room and make themselves comfortable and that she would bring the coffees in there.

While Marissa went off to the kitchen to get the coffee, Annabel decided to go and freshen up in the bathroom and as the others all stood up to make their way into the lounge. Ryan waited until Seth and Summer had left the dining room and then took the opportunity to have a quick word with Skip.

"So what's going on? I gather from Marissa that you have some little plan in motion here that I'd love you to share with me." Ryan asked.

Skip smiled. "What? Don't you think I always behave like this?" he asked.

"No. I've spent too much time with you to know that you not a sleazebag… at least not naturally." Ryan stated.

"Well. Given that she's dressed like that, how else would you expect me to behave?" Skip asked.

"Okay. But how come she's going along with everything you say. It's like she's putty in your hands. That's definitely not the Annabel I know."

Skip smiled. "I convinced her that…" Skip all of a sudden thought better of what he had been about to say. "….Now...just hear me out before you react. I don't want you going off in my face."

Ryan knew that something was coming that he wasn't going to like. "Uh huh"

"Well. I convinced her that I was interested in Marissa, just like she was interested in you." Skip stated.

Ryan glared at him.

"I'm just pretending…mind you if you ever decide …" Skip added with a smile, knowing even hinting at it would get to Ryan.

"Skip. I won't. She's mine. So what's with the rest of this wonderful plan?" Ryan asked waiting to hear him out before reacting.

"Well I said that we could use each other to make the objects of our affections jealous. Clever huh? And by the way you have been playing your part very well. Lots of glares and things. A person could really believe that you are actually jealous."

"I'm not jealous. I just thought perhaps it was in bad taste to have your hands all over her when you had only just met."

Skip put his hands up in his defence. "I told her that if I did anything at all that she was uncomfortable with then she only had to say the word and I'd back off straight away. Mind you, I have to say, never in a million years did I imagine that I'd feel as much bare skin tonight as I have already and the night is still young."

"And what about telling her you'd help her join the Mile High Club if she wanted?"

"Hey I only asked. She's the one who accepted." Skip replied.

"Yeah. But that was before she even knew what it was."

"True. And because of that I won't hold her to it. But she didn't say no even after I'd told her, so who knows, maybe in time she'll take me up on my offer. She just needs to get over this stupid crush she has on you." Skip smiled realising just how awkward it made Ryan feel even to talk about it. "I really quite like the girl but really her taste in guys to date has been questionable. But maybe if I can change that then…."

Ryan smiled realising just what Skip was up to. "Okay. So I guess I owe you. What can I do to help?"

"Just keep doing what you're doing. Feel free to make a complete fool of yourself over Marissa. It can only help me in my devious plan." Skip stated.

"That I can do. It seems to come naturally when ever I'm around Marissa." Ryan replied.

"So I've noticed." Skip commented.

---

When Ryan and Skip walked in to the living room, Summer was seated at one end of the lounge and Seth was laying along it with his head in her lap.

"Passed your bedtime already Seth?" Skip asked.

"No. I've just eaten too much again. I love the fact that Marissa made extra mousse for me but it seems that maybe I should have stopped at three serves. I think the fourth was a mistake. My stomach doesn't feel so good." Seth explained.

"And what about the fifth?" Summer asked.

Seth grimaced. "I don't think the fifth has actually made it to my stomach yet. It's still sitting in the tube waiting for space. You know like looking for a park at the mall at Chrismukkah."

Skip laughed as he sat down in one of the two large arm chairs that were either side of the lounge.

"I'll just see if I can give Marissa a hand." Ryan said and made his way in to kitchen.

---

"Can I help?" Ryan asked as he walked in to the kitchen.

"No. It's all ready." She replied. "Although, you could carry the tray in for me."

"I can do that. " Ryan replied picking up the tray that she had prepared.

"Did you get a chance to talk to Skip?" Marissa asked.

"Yeah. I'll tell you about it later. All we have to do is to continue to be all over one another and he'll be happy."

"Mmm. I like that idea. He'll be happy and so will I." Marissa replied giving him a quick kiss on the way past.

"I'm sure you can do better than that." Ryan said following behind with the tray.

Marissa looked back and said saucily over her shoulder. "I assure you I can."

---

After setting down the tray on the coffee table, Marissa proceeded to pour out mugs of the steaming hot coffee and pass them to their guests. Ryan had seated himself in the other large arm chair opposite Skip. When she had finished Marissa stood up wondering where to sit. She was about to ask Seth to move when Ryan suggested she sit on his lap. She happily moved to sit with him and as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close, Annabel came back into the room. She stood for a moment wondering where to sit. Ryan looked at Skip.

"You're welcome to my chair Annabel and I can sit on the floor or, if you like, we could share and you could sit on my lap. Annabel considered the options. It looked like Summer and Seth had fallen asleep so the chance of getting them to move was practically zero. She watched as Ryan proceeded to nuzzle Marissa's neck and she decided she could give him something else to think about. She walked over to Skip and turned to sit across his lap. Of course as she did the split on her skirt pulled apart and a large amount of bare leg, thigh and hip was put on display.

Marissa looked up and gave an audible gasp and Annabel smiled knowing that if it had that sort of effect on Marissa then Ryan would be seeing the same view. What she hadn't banked on was that Skip would put his arm around her to pull her closer so that she wouldn't slip off his lap. His hand went to her hip which at this point was totally bare. She felt like she had been zapped as his fingers moved over her skin gently moving her closer to him. She looked into his eyes realising that he was having trouble swallowing. Obviously it was having an effect on him as well.

Skip leaned in and whispered. "Much as I'm enjoying this, maybe you should turn around the other way with the split towards me."

"I think you might enjoy that more." She replied. Annabel was about to turn around when she noticed Ryan look up again from his 'activities' with Marissa and his eyes almost popped out. Annabel decided that she was staying right where she was. But within moments Ryan had gone straight back to what he had been doing.

Annabel decided that two could play at that game and so she decided to give Skip some extra attention. Moving slightly on his lap and running her hand through his hair.

"I think you should stop moving around like that or you might stir up more than you're bargaining on. I am only human you know and right now I'm having a lot of trouble concentrating on anything other than the thought of you. You're much too attractive to ignore." He smiled.

"I never asked you to ignore me. Quite the opposite in fact. I thought you were supposed to be pretending to be attracted to me to make Ryan jealous."

"I assure you… right now… I'm not pretending and looking at Ryan I don't think he could care less… so what do you want me to do?" Skip asked.

"What are my options?" Annabel replied.

"Well we can stay here and I can place my hand on more inappropriate places to try to see if Ryan will come to your rescue but right now I don't like your chances. He seems to be pretty well occupied." Skip suggested looking at Ryan and Marissa making out in the other chair.

Annabel watched them for a moment and had to agree. It certainly didn't look like Ryan was going to play the knight in shining armour tonight. He seemed to have his hands full. She turned back to Skip. "Or?"

"Well…how about we get out of here? Did you bring a car?" Skip asked.

"No. I caught a cab." Annabel replied.

"Good. Then I can give you a ride home." Skip suggested.

"You do realise that's all you be riding." Annabel remarked just to make sure that Skip realised that she wasn't that sort of girl. She was worried that the dress may have given him the wrong opinion.

Skip smiled. "Sure. But a man can dream." He shrugged. "Maybe one day…I'm patient. So… are you happy to get out of here?" he asked.

Annabel looked back over at Ryan who didn't look like he would even come up for air. He had his hands inside Marissa's top and was stroking her back with one hand while pulling her closer with the other. She couldn't believe that he would act that way in front of guests. "Sure." She said. "May as well. There's nothing going on here." She stood to leave.

"I think you're wrong there. If we get out of here, I suspect there will be plenty going on…or off." Skip suggested looking at Ryan and Marissa who were really getting in to it. Skip suspected that they had long ago stopped pretending to be making out for Annabel's sake and were now so far in to it they had forgotten that they even had visitors. "Ahem." Skip said trying to attract Ryan and Marissa's attention but to no avail.

"Earth to Ryan. Come in Ryan." He tried but still nothing. He reached over and tapped Ryan on the shoulder. As Ryan finally looked up, Skip said "We're just going to go. It's getting late and we both have work in the morning. Annabel's boss is a real pain in the arse and she can't afford to be late."

"Very funny." Ryan replied.

"I thought so." Skip added.

"Do you need us to call you a cab Annabel?" Marissa asked just happy that she was finally going.

"Um No thanks. Skip is giving me a lift." Annabel replied knowing that Marissa couldn't wait to be rid of her. She smiled. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind dropping you off as well." She suggested, thinking that at least that would put an end to Marissa's night of fun as well.

Ryan looked at Marissa and she shrugged her shoulders as an obvious message passed between them. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close to him. "I thought you realised, Marissa lives with me. This is OUR home."

"She what?" Annabel was stunned. In all the time she had known Ryan he had never had anyone live with him. He'd had a couple of girlfriends. No one for very long but she didn't even think they had managed to stay overnight let alone….." She turned his words over in her mind. 'This is OUR home'. That sounded pretty definite, not just a 'she's staying for the night' or 'she's living with me'. It was like a nail in the coffin of all her hopes and dreams about a life with Ryan. Annabel pulled herself together and turned to Skip. "Could we go now?"

"Sure. Thanks for the dinner you two. I'll talk to you later Ryan." Skip said as they moved out the door to wait for the lift.

"Okay. And thanks for coming." Ryan replied and closed the door.

He turned to Marissa who said. "I know it seems odd but I actually feel sorry for her. Did you see her face?"

"Yeah. But she had to know sometime that there was never a chance that anything would happen." Ryan replied.

"Yeah. I know. I loved your choice of words by the way." Marissa said.

"Did you now? Well how about we get rid of the two sleepy heads and you can show me just how much."

"Sounds like a plan." Marissa smiled.


	54. A match made in ?

_Okay - I'm spoiling you today but I don't know if I'll get a chance to post tomorrow so enjoy !_

**A match made in ?**

Annabel and Skip stood waiting for the lift. He could see that she was still processing the information that Ryan and Marissa were actually living together. He looked over at her.

"Are you okay?" Skip asked, concern written all over his face.

Annabel looked up and nodded not wanting to open her mouth scared that she would burst in to tears. All her hopes and dreams had been dashed with 4 simple words. THIS IS OUR HOME. All she could think was that she had made an awful fool of herself. She looked down at the dress she was wearing and all of a sudden felt ashamed. The freedom she had felt earlier with wearing no underwear seemed to have magically dissolved and now she felt like a tramp. Her beautiful dress…. she knew she would never wear it again. She looked up at Skip as he waited patiently for an answer to his question but she answered it with one of her own. "Did you know they were living together?"

"No I didn't." he shook his head. "But I guess it doesn't surprise me. During the course of the evening it became obvious that we weren't dealing with a passing flirtation. I think they are in this for the long haul." He replied trying to make her realise that she really had no hope with Ryan.

Annabel looked at him and tried to smile. He really had been great all evening. And right now she knew she could use a friend. "I guess I must have looked pretty stupid in there?"

"No…. you looked pretty amazing to me…. still do. It's just you had a crush on the wrong guy. He was already taken." Skip answered,

Annabel nodded her head. "Yeah I guess you're right."

"But you know, you could always look elsewhere. Like to someone available. Like a pilot. I hear they are really nice people." He smiled waiting for her reaction.

The lift arrived and Skip guided her into the lift with his hand on her back. There was no doubt that she could feel her skin tingle where he had lightly placed his hand.

Annabel nodded to him. "Maybe I will. Do you know any?"

"Funny you should ask but as a matter of fact, I do." Skip replied innocently.

Annabel laughed. "Anyone I know."

"As a matter of a fact, yes." Skip replied. He hadn't removed his hand from her bare back when they had entered the lift and as they continued to flirt with one another he moved his hand over her back stroking it lightly with his finger tips.

"So what do you suggest?" Annabel asked. The feelings that he was invoking with the movement of his hand on her back were all good.

"How about I get you home first and then maybe you could invite me in for a coffee and we'll see where we go from there."

"Okay. But you know I'm not that sort of girl." Annabel reminded him.

"A man can always hope." Skip smiled as he led her to his car.

---

"C'mon sleepy heads. Outta here. You've got your own place to go to. Skadaddle." Ryan said as he shook Seth awake.

Summer looked up as Ryan and Marissa stood and laughed at the antics of Seth trying to ignore them. He kept burying his head in Summer's lap. It was like he was burrowing in and she didn't like it at all and pushed him to one side and stood up. "Cohen stop it. Move."

"Aw… Summ. I was comfortable." Seth replied.

"What happened to Skip and the tart?" Summer asked looking around for the missing pair.

"Gone. They needed to get to bed. Work tomorrow." Marissa explained.

"I reckon that Skip's got a chance of eating 'tart' in bed." Seth stated as he finally gave up trying to get comfortable without his 'pillow' and stood up from the lounge and stretched.

"Yuck. Can you imagine? Surely he's not that desperate?" Summer suggested.

"What do you mean? Annabel's hot. I was thinking that he was getting lucky." Seth commented.

"What with a tramp? I don't see how that is lucky?" Summer replied.

"Would you two mind taking this conversation back to your own apartment. Marissa and I want to get to bed. It's been a long day." Ryan interrupted, all the while keeping his arms firmly around Marissa.

"With an even longer night to follow, I'm thinking." Summer teased looking at her two friends entwined in one another. "But it's okay. We can take a hint. You invite us along and then just because you're feeling frisky you throw us out." She teased.

Marissa laughed. "Well, we did also feed you and since you've both been asleep for the last half hour or so, I don't think you should be complaining."

"And yeah, you're right. I do have plans and you're cramping my style. So scat." Ryan added as he pushed Seth out the door closely followed by Summer.

Summer pushed the call button on the lift and they waited while Seth turned to tease Ryan some more.

"Aw. Can't we stay and watch this famous 'style' in action?" Seth asked.

"No you can't. My style is definitely meant for an audience of 1." Ryan added.

"Well we could send Marissa home with Summer and then the numbers would be right." Seth teased.

"Yeah but the mix would be wayyyyy off. Now on your bike and go. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Ryan added almost closing the door in Seth's face.

"Okay, okay. Don't get you're knickers in a knot." Seth said as the door closed behind him.

"You're presuming they actually have knickers on. " Summer stated. "Remember Annabel didn't."

"Yeah. I guess you're right. And even if they do, I wouldn't mind betting that there won't be any knickers left on in there by the time we reach our floor." Seth grumbled as they entered the waiting lift.

---

Skip opened the car door for Annabel and then stood aside for her to enter. As she moved past him to hop in she stopped and kissed him chastely on the cheek. "Thank you for this evening. I don't know how I would have made it through without you."

Skip smiled. "I'm sure you would have been fine. You're stronger than you realise. It took a lot of guts to go in there dressed the way you were. You had something you were trying to achieve and you were prepared to fight for it. You couldn't have known that the fight was over before it had even begun. But I must say I'm glad that I was invited, otherwise we may never have met. And I'm hoping that tonight is just the first of many."

"Thank you for trying to make me feel better but you don't think you're rushing things a bit do you?" Annabel asked.

"I don't know? Am I?" Skip asked.

"Let's get me home and I'll make you that coffee and we'll talk about it." Annabel replied as she sat in the car and closed her door. She couldn't wait to see where things with Skip might lead. He was cute and fun and caring and she was already starting to wonder what she ever saw in Ryan.

---

Back in the penthouse, Ryan turned to Marissa and pulled her into his arms and said "Finally alone."

"Yeah…. But there is still some cleaning up to do in the kitchen." Marissa said.

Ryan smiled. "Are you going to wear an apron? I seem to remember liking the way they look on you." he commented, thinking about the last time Marissa had worn an apron for him and what it had led too. "I'd even be prepared to wear one again too." He added feeling the stiffening in his pants already, as the images of a naked Marissa with just a wisp of fabric tied around her, flooded his mind.

"No. I'm going to quickly finish stacking the dishwasher and then I'm planning on having my way with you." Marissa replied.

"Mmmm...I think I like the sound of that." Ryan replied as he followed Marissa back into the kitchen to help finish up. As he noticed the chocolates that Skip had brought still sitting on the counter, he wondered how his friend was going. "How do you think things will be going with Skip and Annabel?" he asked.

"This might sound like wishful thinking, but I really think they have a chance. I mean it's not like Skip went into it with his eyes closed. He knew exactly what she was like and yet he was obviously still interested. And let's face it, he's pretty cute, so I can't imagine why she wouldn't at least give it a go. It's not as if she has anyone else in her life…" Marissa said hesitating to see if Ryan was going to disagree.

"No she doesn't." he replied knowing exactly what Marissa was referring to.

"Good answer." Marissa replied smiling as she rinsed out the coffee mugs and stacked them in the dishwasher.

"But I don't exactly agree with you about Skip being cute." Ryan added. He didn't like to think that Marissa noticed anyone else but him.

"Aw…someone's jealous…." Marissa teased.

"Well…who was jealous earlier and set Skip up with his task for the evening?"

"Okay. So we're both stupid. Because there is absolutely no reason for either of us to be jealous. Deal…" Marissa stated.

"Deal." Ryan said as he placed the last of the dishes in the dishwasher and closed the door. "But come on everything is done here and I have some plans for you."

"Oh no. If I remember rightly you need to be punished. Something about not telling me about you're 'boy's night outs' with Skip. You can't expect to get away with something like that without some form of punishment." Marissa said smiling as she did.

"Punished hey? As long as it doesn't mean that I'm going to miss out all together then I guess I could go along with that. What did you have in mind?" Ryan asked.

"That's for me to know and you to find out." Marissa took his hand as she led him into the bedroom.

Ryan followed obediently behind. "I can't wait….. I think."

---

As Skip drove towards Annabel's apartment she kept looking at him and while he was busy concentrating on the road she took in everything she could. She liked what she could see. More and more as each moment went by. They stopped at a red light and Skip looked over at her realising that she had been scrutinizing him intently.

"See anything you like?" he asked.

"As a matter of a fact, yeah. I think I have." She replied. It had been a long time since she had flirted with a man like this and she had forgotten just how much fun it was.

Skip smiled to himself and reached over to put his hand gently on her thigh. The split in her dress had opened again as she had sat down in the car and so his hand felt her bare leg. Again. He was getting used to it. He waited to see if she would object but she just smiled and placed her hand on top of his; holding it firmly to her leg.

She had to admit she liked feeling it there. They drove for a while like this and Annabel realised that she had started to unconsciously stroke Skip's hand with her thumb; tracing circles on the back of it, thoughts of him filling her mind as she realised that she wanted to feel more of him. She looked over at him as he watched the road and noticed the small smile that had made its way on to his face. He was obviously enjoying the contact just as much as she was. She liked the look of it, of him and she realised that she wanted more. More of this. More of him. It had been so long since she had felt like this and she didn't want to let the opportunity go by. She consciously picked up his hand that was resting on her thigh and Skip wondered if she was goin to push him away but when he glanced over quickly he noticed the smile on her face. She pulled the fabric of her skirt to the side and separated her legs and then she guided his hand to the warmth between her legs.

Skip was amazed by her forwardness; but enchanted nonetheless. He glanced over at her in the dull light in the cabin of the car and saw a small smile. She was waiting for his reaction just as he was waiting for hers. It was touch and go just who was the more apprehensive. He decided since she had taken the lead with moving his hand there in the first place, then it would be up to him to make the next move. He slowly started to stroke her, amazed at the moistness he could already feel. He looked across and noticed her eyes had closed but from the way her body was moving, he knew it wasn't because she was going to sleep. In fact, quite the opposite. As he slipped a finger in to her moist core she moved to slide herself lower on the seat forcing his finger further into her.

She loved the feeling of having him touch her but she knew it would not be enough. She wanted more. It had been too long since she had been touched this way. She looked over at him. "Perhaps you could go a little faster?" she asked her breath shallow as she tried to cope with the sensations coursing through her body.

Skip wondered for a moment was she referring to the speed of the car or the speed of his finger. "Not far now." Skip answered slipping another finger in and using his thumb to rub her now swollen bud. Annabel marvelled at the sensations that were coursing through her body.

To try to contain herself, and put her mind on other things Annabel reached over and started to stroke Skip's thigh. Slowly moving higher and higher until she was stroking him through his pants. She could feel him stiffening beneath her hand as his fingers pushed further and further into her. She undid his belt and then his fly and released his hardness from its confines and all she could think of was bringing this union to its ultimate end. "Pull over." She panted. "Now."

Skip pulled up in the darkened street and then looked at her his erection throbbing and making it difficult for him to think straight. "Condom?" He gasped.

"Where?" she asked.

"Try the glove box." He replied as she started frantically to look for one of the small foil squares that would help to bring her release. She kept looking but nothing. "There's none here. Where else? Wallet?" she pleaded her breathing coming in short pants.

"No." Skip answered. "We'll have to find a drug store."

"No. My place. Just hurry." She replied.

Skip smiled and pulled back out, planting his foot and then moving his hand back where it had come from to try to keep her on the boil until they got to her place.

Fortunately it was only a few more blocks and they had green lights all the way. They pulled up in front of her apartment block and got out in record time. Skip hurriedly tried to make himself respectable hoping that they wouldn't run in to anyone as his erection was obvious from the tent pole in his pants. He locked the car as Annabel let herself in through the security entrance to the lift well. Skip followed hoping that the lift would be there within seconds.

As soon as the lift door closed, he took her in his arms and their lips met in a frenzied kiss. As his tongue invaded her mouth she started to undo the buttons on his shirt. His hands were all over her. The slip of fabric that she had called a dress was easily moved aside for his fingers to work their magic. The lift came to a halt and she fumbled with the key to her door. Passion had blurred her vision and she kept missing the hole.

"Let me." Skip said as he took the key from her and opened the door wanting to get inside as soon as possible. As they entered the apartment Annabel ripped his shirt from his torso and started to run her hands over his body. She undid his belt again as Skip pulled at the shoulders of her dress and it fell to her waist exposing her breasts to his view. He gasped at the picture before him and instantly began to caress her breasts one at a time while kissing down her neck and in to the sensitive hollow at its base. As he moved lower to take a nipple in his mouth he could feel her buck from the sensations she was feeling.

He kicked off his shoes as she removed his trousers. "Bathroom ... quickly." Annabel panted as she moved down the hall and turned into the room on the left. She pulled open a drawer and took out an unopened box of condoms and tried frantically to get the shrink wrap off. It seemed to have been glued in place and finally in frustration she ripped it open with her teeth. She turned to Skip smiling as she held the small foil wrapper in her hands thinking that right at this moment she wouldn't have traded it for a thousand dollars. She pushed his boxers to the floor and ripped the wrapper open, taking the small ring of latex and in her haste tried to put it on backwards.

"Here. Let me." Skip said taking it from her and sheathing himself. When he was done he looked back at her; holding her gaze for what seemed like forever but was really only a matter of moments. "Are you sure about this?"

"Oh yeah." She replied.

It was all he needed to hear. He ran his hands over her shoulders and down her sides, slowly easing the dress that was hanging around her waist over her hips so it fell to the ground. He took in the naked woman in front of him admiring the way she was put together as he watched her chest heave up and down, panting with desire.

"Please." She asked in a small voice.

It was all he needed to hear. He moved his hands to her thighs and picked her up and pushed her against the wall and thrust in to her almost in one motion. Annabel cried out in pleasure as Skip pounded into her. Over and over until he could feel her tighten around him and he let him self go and exploded inside her.

---

_Ryan's punishment coming up. _


	55. Ryan's punishment

_Okay, I have enabled anonymous reviewers so you don't have to log in. I gather it is a pain. So now there should be no excuses for not letting me know what you think about how things are going with the story. This is a really long post so it should keep you going for a while. I was going to split it in two but I decided to give you the whole lot at once. Enjoy !_

**Ryan's punishment**

Meanwhile back at the penthouse Marissa and Ryan had just entered the bedroom.

"So what happens with this punishment?" Ryan asked smiling with anticipation.

"Well….to start off with, you have to do everything I say. No questions asked." Marissa replied.

"Am I going to like it?" Ryan asked.

"It's supposed to be punishment." Marissa replied but couldn't help smiling as she thought about what she had planned for him. "But, I promise it won't be too bad."

"Maybe I want bad." Ryan said, the atmosphere between them getting hot and heavy.

"I don't think you'll be disappointed." Marissa commented shaking her head. "I just have to get some things first. "Can you take your shirt off and I'll be back in a minute." She asked as she walked into her walk in robe.

"Just my shirt?" Ryan asked somewhat disappointed. He was hoping that he wouldn't need any clothes at all for whatever she had planned.

Marissa smiled. "Yes." She answered. She couldn't wait to see how he would react to her plans. When she returned to the bedroom Ryan was sitting on the side of the bed and had kicked his shoes off as well.

"Who told you to take your shoes off?" Marissa asked.

"Um. I just thought that…" Ryan replied wondering just what she had in mind if he still needed shoes. He couldn't see what she had behind her back.

"Another thing to punish you for." Marissa smiled raising her eyebrows.

"Should I put them back on?" Ryan asked.

"No. But since you don't seem to be able to follow instructions very well, then I think I'll have to restrain you."

Ryan smiled liking the sound of this. "Uh huh. So what do I do?"

"Lie in the middle of the bed and stretch your arms out above your head." Marissa instructed.

Ryan did as he was asked and Marissa pulled two silk scarves from behind her back and used them to tie his wrists to the bed head. Ryan couldn't help but smile wondering just what else was in store for him.

"Now. You just wait right there and I'll be back in a minute." Marissa instructed.

She quickly walked back into the adjoining walk in wardrobe and shed all her clothes and then grabbed another scarf tying it around her waist as a sash. She took two more and tied them together behind her neck and pulled them to cover each breast and then tucked them into the sash tied around her waist. She grabbed another 8 and took each by a corner and tucked them into the waistband she had created and they formed her skirt. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. She walked back into the bedroom where Ryan was eagerly waiting for her. His face broke into a huge grin as he saw her but it was soon replaced with an audible gasp as she twirled before him. He realised that as she moved the scarves in her 'skirt' would separate and he could see fleeting glimpses of her bare body. But they were so fast. No sooner would he concentrate on two particular scarves separating than that opening would close and another would open. His eyes were flicking continuously trying to see as much as possible. All he wanted to do was pull the scarves away to reveal the beautiful body that he knew was beneath … but his hands were tied. He was starting to feel frustrated already.

"You really play dirty." Ryan said as he struggled with his bindings, smiling as he said it.

"You ain't seen nothing yet buster." Marissa replied. "But I guess I could show you a little more." She smiled. "If you ask nicely." She added.

"Pretty please." Ryan said and then smiled as he watched as she proceeded to slowly remove every second scarf from her skirt until she was left with just one each side, one at the front and one at the back. He could now see strips of bare skin between the scarves and it just made him want her all the more.

Ryan started to buck on the bed wanting to free himself and feel the beautiful woman in front of him.

"Patience." Marissa said as she moved to the bed and started to undo his belt and remove his jeans. She very …very… slowly pulled them off and dropped them on the floor. Each movement she made revealing more of her to Ryan's eyes and the frustration of not being able to touch her was killing him. Marissa watched the almost pained look on his face. "We've got a long way to go yet, so I think you should just calm down and pace yourself." She smiled and then gently hooked her fingers into the waistband of his boxers and leaned forward to blow warm air in to them; the feel of her hot breath exciting him even more. She proceeded to peel off his boxers and they soon joined the jeans discarded on the floor.

Ryan was trying to take deep breaths to calm himself down but it didn't seem to be working. His erect manhood was standing loud and proud definitely wanting to get in on the game. He writhed around on the bed and Marissa smiled. She picked up one of the discarded scarves and moved to tie up his ankles. "Since you won't be still I'm going to have to tie your legs as well." She used her scarves to tie both his ankles to the end of the bed as well and then moved up to be beside his head. She lent over and Ryan thought she was going to kiss him but she produced a scarf from behind her and proceeded to blindfold him. "And now for the real punishment." She added. "Don't go anywhere. I'll be back."

Ryan laid there listening for her. Never had he felt like his. He didn't think he liked it, but at the same time he knew that all his senses were working overtime. Lying there naked, restrained, aroused and in total darkness … it was a very strange experience. He was used to being in control of everything and at this very moment he felt like he was in control of nothing.

Marissa returned and he could hear her moving around the room and he wondered what would happen to him next. He jumped, as without warning he felt something soft moving down his body starting at his neck and then moving lower….and lower…. It almost tickled it was so gentle. Marissa was using a silk scarf to touch him with.

She loved the way his whole body was responding and she still hadn't actually touched him yet. Next she picked up a soft cashmere shawl and used it to trace patterns over and around his torso. She could see Ryan's body responding to every touch and he squirmed as he felt the soft fabric upon him. When that was finished, Ryan sat waiting for what would come next; the anticipation heightening all of his nerve endings. He jerked as the cold from an ice cube was moved over his body starting at his shoulder and moving down…down. But what was his absolute undoing was that immediately behind the ice cube came Marissa's tongue licking up the moisture and tasting him. She rubbed the ice over his nipples and then replaced it with her warm mouth. Sucking and nipping at them. Ryan had no idea that his nipples could actually cause the sort of reactions elsewhere in his body that they were. He felt that they had a direct connection to his groin. The cold of the ice followed by the warmth of her mouth was his complete undoing. He could feel himself getting closer and closer. Ryan pulled against his restraints and wondered how much more he would be able to take.

Marissa replaced the ice cube with a new one and then moved lower and started her ministrations on his thighs. Running the ice in small circles up the inside of his thighs and following it with her mouth as she removed the moisture that the melting ice cube left behind. Next, she moved to his balls and Ryan could feel them start to tighten as she worked her magnificent torture.

Not being able to see or do anything just meant that every time she touched him the feelings she invoked were massively intensified. Ryan knew he was ready to explode. He was starting to worry that for the first time in his life he would not be able to control himself. He thought that he was likely to come all over himself. "Ris…. I…" he panted trying to maintain control but knowing it was almost a lost cause "I can't … hold on … much ...longer" he started knowing he was almost passed the point of no return.

Marissa used the ice to cool him down, running it over his throbbing manhood and then just as Ryan was wishing, dreading, praying for, expecting … to feel the warmth of her mouth upon him Marissa quickly moved on to the bed and instead of using her mouth, she lowered herself on to him, feeling him push into her hot moist core. Ryan groaned as her vagina encompassed him and he used his hips to push into her as far as he possibly could. His whole body went in to sensory overload as he felt her moist hotness encompass him. She moved upon him and rode him until he cried out in ecstasy as he exploded within her … his body shuddering over and over, until totally spent and his exhausted body gave up.

---

Next morning Ryan was running late for work. As he waited for the lift doors to open on his floor he wondered just what would be waiting for him. What would Annabel be wearing and just how would she behave now that she knew that Ryan and Marissa were together. The doors opened and he stepped out and she was siting behind her desk with no large amounts of flesh exposed so he thought so far so good. She looked up and smiled at him and it was obvious that she was in a good mood. A very good mood in fact. She was basically glowing. Ryan smiled wondering just exactly what happened between her and Skip after they had left.

"Good morning Annabel." Ryan greeted her in his usual way.

"It's a very good morning, Ryan. Thank you for a lovely evening last night. I don't remember enjoying myself so much in a long time." She commented.

Ryan didn't know quite what to make of her remarks. Were they at the same dinner party he started to wonder? "Uh huh." He muttered and made his way to his office. He knew he would never understand her.

"You're coffee will be a few minutes, I just put it on." She commented as he made his way into his office.

"Okay. Thanks." Ryan replied.

He sat down and started trying to go through the morning mail having trouble thinking about anything but Marissa and what she had done to him last night. He had never before felt the way he did last night. He thought his senses were still on high alert. Everything seemed fresher, newer, brighter. And it was all because of Marissa. Just sitting there and thinking about her and their 'activites' of the previous evening he could feel a stirring in his groin. He tried to rid himself of the thoughts of her, knowing that he wouldn't get to see her until the evening. If he kept torturing himself with images of what she had put him through he was likely to have a hard on for the entire day.

Annabel came in with his coffee and placed it on his desk. She was wearing a knee length business skirt with just a small split up the back and he smiled thinking that everything seemed to have gone back to normal. "I hope Skip was a gentleman when he dropped you home?" Ryan asked.

Annabel felt the blush start at her toes and quickly rise. "Perfectly." She replied and fled from the office obviously not wanting to continue the conversation.

Ryan decided that he needed to know a bit more about exactly what had happened between the two of them. Perhaps it would explain her demeanour. He picked up the phone and called Skip at work.

"Good Morning, Jet Corp. Trisha speaking." Came the pleasant reply.

"Good morning. It's Ryan Atwood here. I was wondering if you could put me through to Skip Taylor please." Ryan asked.

"I'm sorry Mr Atwood. Skip's called to say he's running a little late this morning. Traffic or something. You could try him on his cell or I could get him to give you a call when he arrives?" Trisha suggested.

"That's fine. I'll try his cell." Ryan replied wondering just why the traffic would be a problem when Skip lived only 5 minutes from the airport. He smiled. Maybe he was coming from the other side of the city near Annabel's apartment. That may explain Annabel's haste in leaving his office and also the smile she had plastered all over her face. He dialled again trying his Skip's cell this time.

Skip looked at the display on his phone and smiled. He was expecting this call; he had just thought he might have had a little more time to prepare for it.

"Hey Atwood, how's it hanging?" Skip asked hoping to put Ryan on the back foot.

Ryan smiled thinking if only Skip knew that it wasn't hanging at all, in fact after day dreaming about Marissa and their night together it was still relatively stiff but he didn't think that Skip needed to share in that fact.

"I'm actually more interested in what you've done with Annabel?" Ryan asked.

Skip was all of a sudden concerned. "What isn't she there? I dropped her off a short time..." Skip was interrupted by Ryan's laughter on the other end of the line. "…ago." Skip finished realising that he had fallen for the oldest trick in the book.

"So you did spend the night?" Ryan asked. There was a moment of silence from the other end and then Ryan added. "You don't need to answer; it's obvious from the glow surrounding my secretary that she has been ….." Ryan searched for the right word.

"What?" Skip asked waiting to see what Ryan would say.

"...enjoying herself?" Ryan finished. "Would you disagree?" he asked.

"I can't say I would." Skip admitted.

"And how about you? Did you enjoy yourself too?" Ryan persisted wanting to know more.

"I have to admit I did." Skip answered.

"So we had a little sleepover did we?" Ryan teased.

Skip smiled. He might as well get this over and done with because he knew that Ryan would not leave him alone until he knew the lot. "There was nothing little about it and thinking back, not much sleep either." Skip replied and then thought he would rub it in. "And I'd just like to add that's it's too late to change your mind. It's your fault if you passed on the sex kitten. She's mine now."

Ryan smiled thinking he was sure he would win if they started comparing sex kitten stories but he thought better of it. "I'm happy for you. You know," Ryan hesitated, "that you got on" he smiled "…..and off from the sounds of things."

Skip laughed. "Yeah. I…I mean we definitely got on." he replied, thinking that they had actually taken it in turns of who was on whom.

"So are you seeing her again?" Ryan asked "or was this a one night stand?"

"No. I'll be seeing her again. If for no other reason than to replace the box of condoms we used." Skip smiled.

Ryan laughed again. "Smooth Skip. You didn't even take your own. You needed her to supply them?" Ryan questioned.

"Hey. It was a blind date at a private dinner party. How was I to know that things would turn out as they did?" He reasoned in his defence. "I mean, I thought at best that if I liked her I might get her number and arrange to see her again. I didn't know she would turn out to be hot … and horny as well."

"So you're telling me it was all her fault. Sure…I believe you. Remember I've partied with you. I know what you're like." Ryan teased.

"Ryan you have no idea. Hell, you wouldn't believe what went on in the car on the way home. I barely can and I was there. I mean you know how she had nothing on underneath that dress well she…" he hesitated thinking better of going in to details. "I mean … I just…I've never."

Ryan laughed. "You're telling me you did it in the car? That's very teenage of you."

"No. We didn't. I didn't have any condoms but if I had well then….she … and then … I just hadn't imagined that we would spend the night…" he didn't know quite how to finish.

"Horizontal?" Ryan finished for him.

"Not just horizontal my man. I assure you we found ……actually I don't think I want to go into this with you. It may have been fun when we were talking one night stands but I'm hoping this may become something more, so I might just keep it to myself." Skip replied.

Ryan was surprised; Skip was usually very keen to brag about his exploits. "Well good for you man. I hope this is the beginning of a long and happy relationship ...in more ways than one."

"Why? Because then you know that then she won't be causing any more problems between you and Marissa?" Skip asked.

"Well there is that. But also if it keeps her glowing like she is now, then it can only be good."

"Oh… It's good" Skip assured him.

---

After talking to Skip, Ryan tried again to get some work done but nothing he seemed to do would hold his attention for more than a few minutes. He persevered until about 11 and then knew that it was a waste of time even being there. His mind kept going back to Marissa and he decided that he would go to the studio and have lunch with her and then maybe after having spent some time with her, he would be able to concentrate on something this afternoon.

He called her and left a message on her cell to let her know he would be coming to make sure she wouldn't go out with Summer before he got there.

As he made his way to the lift he stopped by Annabel's desk to let her know when he expected to return, only to find her day dreaming, while she looked at a beautiful bunch of roses that were sitting on her desk.

"Don't tell me I've forgotten your birthday?" Ryan asked knowing full well it wasn't for a couple of months.

"No." she replied feeling the pink blush start. "There just from a friend."

"Anyone I know?" Ryan asked, knowing full well that Skip had obviously sent them.

"Maybe." She replied softly, smiling at him as she realised that he knew exactly where they had come from.

"That's good. Because if you were two timing my buddy, I would have had to tell him and then he would have been heart broken." Ryan added and walked to the lift as he noticed the smile on her face grow wider.

---

He picked up a pizza on the way and then drove to the studio. After parking his car, he entered the office to borrow a golf cart and J.B. walked out of his office.

"Ryan. I didn't know you were dropping by? Have we got problems that no one's informed me of?" J.B. asked.

"No. Nothing like that. I just thought I'd drop by and have lunch with Marissa. I promise I won't keep her from her work for too long, I've even brought it with me just to make sure." Ryan replied holding up the pizza box in his hand.

"So things between you two are going well?" J.B. asked. "She's looking after you?"

"Yeah. You could say that." Ryan smiled wondering just what J.B. would say if he knew just how she looked after him last night.

"Have you decided yet when you're available for dinner? Besides the fact that I owe you one, I'd like to talk to Marissa about what her plans are for when this film is finished. You know I've seen the rushes and she's very good. We'd be interested in working with her again." J.B. added.

Ryan didn't respond but he smiled thinking that this could be just what they needed to make sure that she didn't have to return to Europe. He had been hoping that she would just give up work and be a 'kept' woman but she seemed to have different ideas. She was much more independent than she had been 7 years ago. He admired her for it but it still concerned him that she had so many ties back in Europe that she may want to return to at some point in time.

"I believe someone has already mentioned it to her but she wouldn't commit herself. I was hoping that you may have some influence over her and could get her to stay in LA. I'm sure you don't want her to return to Europe." J.B. added.

"No. You're right there." Ryan commented. "But she is a woman with a mind of her own. I think you'd be better off talking to her yourself."

"Surely, your persuasive powers would be better than mine?" J.B. laughed thinking to himself at least as far as getting her in to bed. He knew the effect Ryan had on all the women at the studio and he doubted that Marissa would be any different.

"Just set up the dinner and you can see how you go. All I can say is that I will definitely be on your side." Ryan added.

"Okay. I guess that's a start. So how about this weekend coming up?" J.B. asked.

"Sorry we're off to Miami for a birthday party." Ryan replied.

"Jet setting hey? Sounds very flash. Someone special?"

Ryan smiled. "Yeah. The Nana's, I mean my Nana is turning 70. So I think that's pretty special."

"Not exactly the answer I was expecting" J.B. laughed "But you're right it is special. And I'm sure you'll have fun. Especially if you're together. Hey." J.B. teased Ryan and nudged him with his elbow.

"Okay so I've put up with enough of this. I'm going. Maybe we can catch up next weekend?" Ryan suggested.

"Okay. Saturday night. I book at Aldo's for 8. See you there." J.B. said and turned to Sarah at the front desk. "Sarah, can you make the reservation for me please. Tell them I want the best table in the house." He added.

"Thanks J.B. I'll see you then." Ryan answered.

---

Marissa had just broken for lunch and made her way into her dressing room. She went to pick up her phone intending to call Summer and see if she had time to join her for something to eat when she noticed that she had a message. Connecting to her voicemail she smiled as Ryan's voice came on the line.

"Riss. It's me. Just wanted to let you know that I've decided to come and have lunch with you. I'll pick up a pizza on the way so we don't have to go out. Just make sure you don't take off with Summer before I get there. And……" Marissa listened wondering what the rest of the message was and why Ryan seemed to have hesitated for so long. " yeah, um Riss…..this is a booty call. Love you, See you soon."

Marissa's face broke into a huge grin. That boy really had it bad. But if truth be known she couldn't wait to see him either. She called Summer just to make sure that she didn't come looking for her when she was 'lunching' with Ryan.

Summer looked at her cell as it started to ring and then picked it up. "Hey Coop. Ready for lunch?"

"Um. If it's okay with you Summ, I'm going to take a rain check." Marissa answered.

"But why? You have to eat. There's not much of you as it is." Summer suggested.

"I'm going to eat. It's just that Ryan is going to drop by, so I thought…" she felt a bit bad letting her friend down.

"Eating Ryan doesn't count as food you know?" Summer stated.

Marissa felt herself blush. "Summ. Who said anything about…." Marissa started but then couldn't finish. She knew very well that what Summer was suggesting could very well be starters or dessert gauging by Ryan's message. She stopped what she had been about to say and added. "He's bringing pizza." At least that much she knew was true.

"Enough for 3?" Summer asked teasing Marissa.

"No. Definitely only enough for 2. Sorry. I'll see you later." Marissa hung up and then cleared the scripts off the circular conference table in the corner so that they could put the pizza there. She looked around the room wondering just what Ryan had in mind and took her costume off to make sure it didn't get crushed and put on a silk wrap dressing gown over her underwear. She thought for a moment and then decided to rid herself of the underwear. She had a feeling she wouldn't be needing it.


	56. The booty call

_I hope thay you all enjoyed Ryan's punishment as much as I did. Oh to be Marissa. LOL Enjoy!_

**The Booty Call**

Ryan quickly made his way to Marissa's dressing room. She was sitting in front of the mirror touching up her make up. He opened the door and she turned to look at him. He realised that he was staring but he just couldn't help it. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. On the drive on the way over he kept telling himself that he really needed to get a grip. That it was ridiculous at his age to not be able to get through a day without seeing her and trying to convince himself that he had just let his imagination run away with itself and that he would be disappointed when he got there. She couldn't possibly as gorgeous as his mind was making her out to be.

But nothing could be further from the truth. He closed the door behind him; remembering to click the small lock in to place.

"Hey." He said still standing just inside the door and gazing at her.

Marissa smiled. "Hey yourself." She replied still sitting and watching him as he studied her. She started to feel self conscious under his intense scrutiny. "So … to what do I owe this visit?" Marissa asked a small smile making its way onto her face.

"I thought I made myself clear in my message." Ryan replied, still standing by the door. He took a step forward and placed the pizza down on the small table.

Marissa smiled. "Oh yeah. I remember….lunch ... wasn't it?" she said never breaking eye contact with him. She could feel the atmosphere getting hot and heavy as it became apparent that neither was interested in pizza. Marissa moved to stand up and as she did so her full length gown parted and fell open and Ryan gasped at the sight in front of him.

"Oh my God…..Ris" was all he could get out as they met in the middle of the room and their lips crashed together. Ryan moved his hands all over her as his tongue took possession of her mouth. It was as if he was still trying to make up for the frustrations of last night. Not being able to feel or taste her while he was being 'punished' …. he knew that he would never recover. Even though he had spent a large amount of the night afterwards trying to satiate himself, he felt that he would never have enough of her. Just the thought of being deprived of this, of her for even a short time was almost too much for him to bear.

Marissa met his need with her own. She fumbled with his belt and pants until she had them around his ankles; knowing that for both of them this would need to be quick. The feelings were too intense to be denied. He picked her up and moved her to the table and pushed the pizza aside. As it fell to the floor he balanced her on the edge of the table and thrust into her. Marissa bit into his shoulder, to try to stop from screaming out in ecstasy, worried about the noise that she would make.

Ryan felt the pain in his shoulder but it was nothing compared to the pleasure that was coming from his groin and taking over the rest of his body. He thrust into her again. Cupping his hands behind her and pulling her towards him with each movement. Marissa threw her head back as she let the waves of feeling take over her body. She stared back into his beautiful blue eyes as he hesitated and then drove into her again pushing Marissa over the edge of reason and she clung to him as the spasms of her orgasm rattled her being.

As her vagina clenched even tighter around him, Ryan lost control and joined her; his body shuddering over and over as he felt his release. Ryan held her to him, basking in the after glow of their love making. He never wanted to let her go.

Marissa panted waiting for the exquisite waves of pleasure flooding her body to subside. She looked at him and smiled. "What brought this on?"

"You." He kissed her again. "I haven't been able to think straight all morning. I keep thinking about last night and what you did to me. I've had a hard on almost the whole day."

Marissa smiled. "I can't imagine what you're staff thought." She said.

"Well fortunately, I've been in my office for the morning. But I have a meeting at 3 and I knew I had to do something about it before then or I may have scared the client off completely." Ryan replied.

"Well … it's a good thing I was available to help you with your little problem." Marissa teased.

"Little hey? Are you complaining? Because you know you can change that really quickly." He laughed as he moved inside her. He could feel himself respond again already.

"You know if you keep doing that…." Marissa stopped talking as she let the wave of pleasure go over her body. She still hadn't calmed down completely "…it's not going to be little for too much longer."

"I know. But you're like an addiction." Ryan replied as he withdrew and bent to bring up the boxers and trousers that were pooled around his feet. Lying on the floor beside them was the pizza box. He picked it up.

"So are you still in the mood for lunch?" he asked.

"With you?" she smiled. "Anything."

---

Friday morning Ryan got in to work early. He had a lot to get through and he knew he had to leave early. He was picking Marissa up at 4 and they were meeting the others at the airport. Their bags were already in the back of the car and he was looking forward to the weekend away. He had made some calls to check on things for Seth's big surprise and it seemed that everything was in place. Hopefully by Sunday, Seth would be a happily betrothed man and then Ryan and Marissa could start to make plans of their own. He couldn't wait. Every day he spent with her only made him more and more certain that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. But then he'd known that from the first time he'd seen her.

---

It was about 10 o'clock and Seth walked in the door.

"Hey bro." he said.

"Seth. Shouldn't you be busy getting ready for the weekend?" Ryan asked. He really didn't have time to talk to Seth right now. He had too many things to do before he could get out of here.

"Yeah. I just needed to talk to you. You know. Check on everything for tomorrow." Seth said but suspiciously in a non-Seth way. He was flat. No bounce. That was never a good sign with Seth. When he got nervous, he talked more than ever but Ryan knew better than anyone that there was actually a point beyond nervous where Seth actually seemed to shut down and it appeared that he was nearing it.

Ryan knew that some serious Seth/Ryan time was needed or Seth was going to bail out of this whole thing … again. He closed the file that he was working on and pushed it to one side. The most important right now was that he got his brother back to normal and back on track. Too many things depended on the events of this weekend.

"Everything's under control." Ryan assured him. "I called this morning and it's all set. You have nothing to worry about."

"That's easy for you to say. You're not the one that's proposing. I mean what if she says no? Maybe she's not ready?" Seth suggested.

"Would you please just get it into that silly head of yours that Summer loves you. Why? I don't know?" Ryan joked.

"Exactly. I mean why would she? In all honesty Ryan, I was sitting at my desk this morning and it all of a sudden hit me. I mean….I got nothing…." Seth admitted.

"Except her." Ryan added.

"Yeah." Seth gave him a smile that was almost a grimace. "But she could have anyone."

"She couldn't have me." Ryan assured him.

"Okay then, anyone but you. But that still leaves an awful lot of people that she would choose before me."

"Seth. I don't know why you do this to yourself. Summer loves you. It's one of the quirk's of nature granted. But for what ever reason she does. But she's not going to wait around for you forever. If you don't propose soon man, she's likely to think you never will. Then you may really be in trouble because I know she wants kids. She might decide to give up and go and find someone who loves her enough that they would want to start a family with her."

"But I want to start a family with her." Seth was starting to get angry. The thought of anyone else with Summer abhorrent to him.

"Well good for you. Then don't you think it's about time that the two of you made things official. Seriously, if Summer was interested in anyone else why would she have been living with you all this time?"

"Yeah. I guess you're right. So you think I should do it?" Seth asked.

"Yes I think you should." Ryan assured him.

"Tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yes. Tomorrow afternoon. It's all set." Ryan confirmed.

Seth looked at Ryan and smiled and Ryan could see that the light was back on in his eyes. "Okay. But there's just one more favour I need from you."

"Okay. What?" Ryan asked.

"Well as you mentioned. Summer and I have been living together for quite a while now."

"Yeah. So." Ryan wondered where this was going.

"Well. Just supposing that she really does say yes…." Seth began.

"She will." Ryan assured him yet again.

"Okay… then… well… I need you to give me some ideas for later." Seth asked.

"Later?" Ryan didn't understand what he was talking about. They were all going to dinner for the Nana's birthday in the evening. Their plan was that it would be a double celebration.

"You know for when we get back to the room. I'd really like to be able to do something that would make the night memorable. And let's face it; I gather your sex life is a lot more interesting than mine. So couldn't you just this once, share a little. Give me some ideas about how I can get Summer to places she's never been before?" Seth pleaded.

"Seth." Ryan shook his head. "Man. You don't know what you're asking?"

"Yeah I do. I want you to give me a few lessons on how to…you know…" Seth started. "I mean, we do it and she's never complained but….. I mean hasn't there ever been one sexual encounter that has stood out for you among all others?"

Ryan blushed bright red.

"Ah. I see from you're reaction that there has. So that's what I'm talking about. I just want this particular time to stand out for Summer like yours obviously does for you."

Ryan didn't know what to say. He shook his head.

"Do I gather from your reluctance to share that perhaps this wasn't something that you did to Marissa but maybe someone else. You know it really wouldn't matter to me. I don't need names." Seth added.

"No. It's because it was something that was done to me not the other way around." Ryan stated.

"Whoa. Somebody teaching the master. I'm impressed. So tell me. What should I do?"

Ryan shook his head. "Seth. I really don't think I can tell you." Ryan replied.

"Fine. If you won't tell me then I guess I won't propose." Seth said knowing that for some reason Ryan was desperate for him to make it happen this weekend.

Ryan looked at him knowing he was being blackmailed. He thought of Marissa and knew that she would understand if he gave away a few of her secrets because she was just as keen for Seth to propose as Ryan was. Just as long as he didn't reveal that it was actually Marissa that had done it to him … maybe it would be all right.

He reluctantly started. "Okay. I'm not going to tell you what to do but I will tell you about something that happened to me and you can see if you want to use it."

"I'm all ears." Seth replied.

Ryan shook his head again wondering how he had ever got himself into this position but seeing no other way out. "All I'll say is that if you remove some of the five senses then the ones that are left are magnified."

"Sorry…I'm not following." Seth said.

"You know you have five senses. Sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell." Ryan stated.

"Okay. So?" Seth still didn't see quite where this was going.

"Well." Ryan took a deep breathe. Obviously he was going to have to spell this out to Seth. "I was bound and blindfolded."

"Ah. That's really kinky Ryan but I don't think Summer is in to whips and things." Seth commented.

"No. The exact opposite. It was soft and gentle. Once I was naked I was touched with …" Ryan shuddered "I can't believe I'm telling you this."

"Go on." Seth was dying for Ryan to continue.

"With things of different textures. They were run over my body. They were soft and silky but she never used her hands. Not once did she actually touch me."

"Oh Boy." Seth exclaimed as the thoughts ran through his mind.

"Then she ran an ice cube over me and followed it with her tongue." Ryan could feel his breathe shorten as he relived the experience in his head.

"Oh my god." Seth said feeling himself get aroused at just the thought.

"Exactly. I went into total sensory overload." Ryan stated closing his eyes and thinking back to the way he had felt. He opened them again and looked dreamily at Seth "I'm still recovering." Ryan assured him.

Seth stared at him shocked. "You mean Marissa…………?"


	57. Miami

_Thanks - to those of you who take the time to review. Enjoy!_

**Miami**

The flight to Miami was uneventful. Unfortunately there was no Mile High Club to be joined on a packed commercial flight but that didn't stop Seth from alluding to it more than once. Summer had promised to strangle him if he referred to it ever again.

Ryan and Marissa had curled up together to try to get some sleep. They were still trying to catch up, as not much of the last few nights in bed had actually involved sleep. It seemed that ever since Marissa's 'punishment' of Ryan they couldn't get enough of one another. Ryan knew that he would have to tell Marissa about his conversation with Seth. Even though he had basically threatened Seth to within an inch of his life if he ever revealed anything about their conversation to anyone, Ryan knew that is would be impossible for Seth to keep it to himself. Even with the best of intentions, Ryan knew that one day Seth would just come out with it. It would be completely accidental but it was guaranteed nonetheless.

When they checked in to the hotel in Miami it was after midnight and they went straight to bed in the suite that Sandy had reserved for them. However, they had forgotten to close the curtains and so early the next morning Marissa was woken by the bright stream of sunlight falling across her face. She tried to burrow into Ryan's chest to escape it but it only worked for a short while and then the creeping sunlight found her yet again. She squinted as she looked at the beautiful blue sky outside and realised that Ryan was still asleep. She looked at the sun and figured that he only had a few more minutes and then the sunlight would be across his face too. She used the time to take in every nuance of the face of this man that she loved more than life itself.

She knew it would only be a minute until the sun invaded his restful sleep, so to keep it from waking him she moved her head to protect him and block the sun's rays. But in doing so she found herself with her lips inches from his. Much as she wanted to let him sleep she was driven by a force stronger than she could resist and she lent forward and kissed his perfect lips. Feeling no response she tried again this time using her tongue to trace the outline of his lips and then lightly pulling his bottom lip between her teeth. She pulled back as she felt the small smile creep across his face and felt his arm tighten around her pulling her closer to him.

She tried again. This time as she went to kiss him, his mouth opened and their tongues entwined as Ryan pulled her on top of him obviously keen to take this further. Marissa was more than happy to oblige. His hands ran over her as she moved on top of him, loving the feeling of his skin on hers. They spent the next little while reconfirming their passion for one another.

---

They were lying in a sweaty ball, limbs entwined, panting heavily when the phone rang.

"Ignore it." Ryan said as Marissa started to disentangle herself from him.

"I can't. It might be Sandy or Kirsten." She replied reaching for the phone that was on her side of the bed.

"My bet's on Seth." Ryan stated as Marissa answered.

"Hello." Marissa said softly into the phone and she rolled her eyes and smiled at Ryan. "Yes Seth we are awake. What did you want?" Marissa listened and then covered the mouthpiece and said to Ryan "He wants to meet us in the restaurant for breakfast."

Ryan shook his head. "I'd rather have room service here with you."

"Seth I don't think …" Marissa started and then stopped as Seth obviously tried again to convince her. Marissa smiled and looked at the gorgeous naked man beside her, only partially covered by a sheet. She listened intently as Seth proceeded to babble on in her ear. She started to play with Ryan running her fingers gently over his chest longing to spend the morning in bed with him. She finally spoke. "I can't believe I'm saying this… But give us an hour and we'll meet you there."

Ryan looked like he had been wounded by her words and started to shake his head violently. "No." he mouthed.

Marissa shrugged her shoulders trying to convey to Ryan that she didn't have an alternative. "Seth. Either give us an hour or eat on your own. Your choice." Marissa waited. "Okay see you there." She replaced the phone.

"Why, why, why would you agree to that? " Ryan asked.

"Because he is freaking out. Summer was in the shower and he was going on and on about how he couldn't do it. That she would never say yes. That he would never be good enough for her. I think after breakfast I'd better take Summer shopping or something and you can have some serious Seth/Ryan time otherwise he's going to chicken out again." She looked at Ryan and noticing the disappointment in his eyes added. "But I did say we wouldn't meet them for an hour and I know we can get ready in 5 minutes if we have to, so I figure that leaves us with 55 minutes to ... amuse ourselves." Marissa smiled as she pulled the sheet back and started to run her hands over his body.

Ryan wanted nothing more than to spend every one of those minutes showing Marissa just how much he loved her but he knew he had to tell her about what had happened yesterday before they spent any time with Seth just in case he decided to mention it. If something was to come out, it would be bad enough if she had been forewarned but if she had no idea, well …. After keeping the Annabel clothing choices to himself, he had promised that he would try to not keep things to himself anymore and he knew since Marissa was vitally involved in this one then he had to come clean. He grabbed Marissa's hand in his own and stopped it from its path over his body knowing that he couldn't concentrate on anything while she was touching him like that. "Riss. We have to talk."

Marissa stopped straight away. She didn't like the sound of this. "What is it?"

"I just need to tell you something." Ryan ran his free hand through his hair obviously having trouble finding where to start.

"If it's Annabel again, so help me, I'll …" Marissa started.

"No. It's nothing to do with Annabel. I think that Skip's got that all under control." Ryan assured her.

"Then what is it?" Marissa was starting to get worried.

"It's just." Ryan tried to start again. He took a deep breathe knowing there was only one way to get this over and done with and that was by coming straight out with it. "I told Seth about what happened on Wednesday night."

Marissa frowned and then added. "Seth was at the dinner. He knows what happened."

"Not that." Ryan looked at her, hoping that she would understand. "After."

Marissa looked at him shocked. Surely he didn't mean … "Not …?" she asked.

Ryan nodded guiltily.

"You what? Why would you do that? I thought it was private and special. Not something for you to brag about with the boys." Marissa was offended that he would have told Seth of all people.

"That's the problem. It was special, very special." Ryan said looking at her; his eyes pleading with her to understand. He had a bad feeling that this wasn't going to go well and for good reason.

"I'm sorry Ryan. I don't understand. If it was special then why would you…" Marissa started to get up from the bed.

Ryan put his hand on her shoulder and turned her around to look at him. "Please just let me explain."

She turned back and then couldn't help but see the regret in his eyes. She sat back on the bed and pulled the sheet up over her. "Okay. But this better be good."

"Well … Seth came to see me yesterday and … he was having second thoughts about going through with things today. I reassured him and finally got him to agree and then he asked me for some advice for this evening."

"What with a speech for dinner?" Marissa asked.

"No. For after." Ryan said hanging his head in embarrassment. "He said he wanted to make the night extra special for Summer. You know. Take her to places she's never been, type stuff." Ryan could feel himself start to blush. Why… he had no idea.

Marissa couldn't help but smile, knowing that she'd been to those places and then she watched as the blush crept up Ryan's face. That fact that he could still be embarrassed about anything in front of her she found endearing. "Uh huh. Go on." Marissa still couldn't see how this would lead Ryan to reveal their secrets.

"Well. I kept saying no and he kept asking hadn't I ever had one sexual experience that stood out among all others." Ryan looked at her waiting to see if his words were registering. "I could hardly say no since I don't think I've calmed down even yet. Just thinking about it gives me a hard on. Look." he said pulling back the sheet.

Marissa had to smile as his 'excitement' was indeed evident. She turned her eyes from his hard on before she weakened and dealt with it and added. "Go on."

"When I still refused, he basically blackmailed me by saying that unless I gave him some ideas then he wouldn't go through with the proposal." He looked at her again hoping for her understanding. "I couldn't let that happen. We need them to get through this so that we can start to make our own plans." He added.

Marissa smiled. She was looking forward to Seth getting this over and done with just as much, if not more, than Ryan. "So what exactly did you say?"

"I just told him it was something that was done to me not by me. And that if you remove some of the senses then the feelings from the others are intensified. I wasn't about to give a ten point plan. He still didn't understand so I told him that I had been restrained and blindfolded and what had been done to me and he agreed that it would be amazing but ….."

"But? Why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like the but?" Marissa asked.

"Well he got a bit carried away just thinking about it and I guess so did I and I said I still hadn't recovered and well he put 2 and 2 together and realised that…

"It was me." Marissa sighed. "So I guess that now I can expect to get rude and crude comments from Seth about bondage and torture." She looked back at Ryan. "Just what I've always wanted."

Ryan looked at her guiltily. "I'm sorry. But the last thing I wanted was for him to postpone this again … and once I started talking about it…well you can see the affect it had on me …" he looked down at the tent pole still evident under the sheet. "Sorry … has on me. But I did promise to kill him if he ever mentioned it; for what it's worth."

Marissa looked at him and couldn't help but smile. "I guess you're right. It would have been worse if he had postponed things again. Although, I'm not looking forward to Seth having that sort of information on me. Who knows when it will come out? And I think we both know that it will come out, eventually."

Ryan looked at her knowing he had to agree.

"But if and when it does, I can assure you that you will pay." Marissa stated.

"When you say it like that I can't wait. Bring on the punishment." Ryan replied.

"Oh no. Not this time buddy. Next time it's my turn. You can do all the work and repay the kindness."

"Mmm. I like the sound of that too. It's a deal." Ryan agreed.

"Okay. "Marissa said as she moved over to sit astride him. "So…. it was the one sexual experience that stood out among all others, hey?"

"Yeah. And you know it." Ryan replied.

"Even better than all those Chino girls?" she asked.

"Way better." Ryan assured her.

Marissa glanced over at the clock beside the bed. "So I figure we have about 30 minutes left before breakfast. I was wondering if you needed help with that hard on problem you have?"

Ryan rolled her over and held himself above her. "I thought you'd never ask."


	58. Ryan and Marissa offer reassurance

_I'm not sure if people have stopped reading because they have lost interest or if they have just stopped reviewing. It's hard to know. I'd sort of decided that I would post again when I got 5 reviews but I guess that not fair to those of you that are regularly reviewing. Anyhow he's the next installment. Enjoy!_

**Ryan and Marissa offer reassurance **

When Marissa and Ryan entered the restaurant, they noticed a few people looking at them but thought nothing of it. They were both attractive people and that sometimes happened. They made their way over to the table that Seth and Summer were at and sat down.

"Thank goodness you're here Chino. I was worried that you wouldn't come once you'd seen the newspaper." Summer stated.

Ryan frowned. "What's in the paper?"

Seth laughed. "You made the front page."

"But why?" Ryan tried to think of any business deals that he was working on at the moment that would cause enough interest to get that sort of response… but nothing came to mind. "I'm not working on anything that interesting at the moment." He added.

"Hear that Coop? You're 'not interesting'." Summer smiled.

Marissa looked at Summer and rolled her eyes. "Very funny."

Ryan looked at Marissa, the penny finally dropping. "Paparazzi?"

"Yep. Photo of you two looking bleary eyed leaving the airport last night arm in arm. I was half expecting that you wouldn't turn up for breakfast." Summer said.

"Maybe we'll just retreat to our room and have breakfast there." Ryan suggested thinking that would suit him down to the ground. He would get to spend more time with Marissa. Hell, he didn't care if they stayed there for the whole weekend.

"Oh no you don't Chino, I need you. There is something definitely wrong with Cohen today. He's worse than ever. Maybe you can work out what's going on with him?" Summer said as they all looked at Seth who had both legs shaking so much he was actually rattling the china on the table.

"Seth. Stop it." Ryan said. He looked up at Marissa. "Why don't you ladies go and have a look at the buffet and I'll have a chat to my friend here?"

Marissa quickly took the hint. "Okay. Summ let's go see what they've got? I hope there are pancakes."

Summer got up to follow Marissa and then turned to Ryan. "Good luck. But I think he's really lost his marbles this time."

Ryan watched the girls walk away, admiring Marissa's derriere as she made her way to the buffet tables on the other side of the room. He wondered if she had any idea of just what she did to him. He really did just want to take her back to the room and to bed but he knew he had to deal with Seth first. When they were well out of hearing range he turned to Seth. "Man get a grip. What's going on with you?"

"Ryan I can't do it. I've lost the ring. I've looked everywhere for it. When Summer was in the shower, I turned my whole suitcase upside down. There's clothes scattered everywhere but it's definitely not there. So I can't possibly….."

Ryan started to smile.

Seth watched this and added "There's nothing to smile about. I don't see how you can find this amusing when you were the one who suggested all this in the first place."

"Seth. I have the ring. You gave it to me yesterday when you came to the office. Don't you remember? You were concerned that you would forget it or that Summer would find it; so I said I would look after it and bring it with me. …..boy you were in a worse state than I imagined." Ryan stated. "Everything is under control. Marissa is going to take Summer out shopping for a while this morning and we can go and check things out and may sure everything is in place. We'll meet the girls back here for lunch. Okay?"

Seth looked at his brother who seemed to be so under control. "I guess so. But…"

"No buts. Everything will be fine." Ryan assured him. Now let's just go and get some breakfast. I don't want you passing out this afternoon with low blood sugar. And please try and act normal before you give it all away." Ryan suggested. "Okay so I know normal is not really possible for you but at least more normal than you have been, otherwise Summer is going to think she's getting stuck with a mad man and that'll never do." Ryan smiled.

"Okay. " Seth nodded his head. "Normal." He thought a bit more and as he and Ryan got up to make their way to the buffet he turned to Ryan and said. "Exactly how do I do that?"

Ryan laughed.

---

After breakfast, Marissa convinced Summer to go shopping with her to look for a new dress for the dinner that evening.

"I can't believe that we're doing this." Summer commented as they walked in to yet another boutique. "Why didn't you just bring something with you? It's not as if you don't have the most amazing wardrobe full of clothes already."

"Well, I did bring something with me that I could wear but I just thought I might find something here that Ryan might like more." Marissa suggested as she looked through yet another rack of clothes.

"Girl. When are you going to realise that for Ryan to like it more, you need to go less."

"What?" Marissa asked confused by what her friend had said.

"I'm just saying that the amount that Ryan likes an outfit on you is directly proportional to how much flesh you are showing. I wouldn't mind betting that he'd be happy with you in nothing." Summer teased. "Let's face it whatever you are wearing that boy will strip you bare with his eyes in a second and with his hands no doubt the minute you are alone." She laughed as she noticed the slight blush creep up Marissa's face.

"That's not…" Marissa started knowing that she couldn't really disagree. And what was worse was the fact that … if she was honest with herself, she had to admit, that was exactly the reaction she was looking for from him.

"Maybe what we are looking for is that dress that Annabel wore on Wednesday night. She may be a skank but I have to admit that was a hell of a dress. I bet if Ryan saw you in that …" Summer started.

"I don't want to think about or talk about Annabel." Marissa assured Summer.

"She's not still causing problems is she?" Summer asked.

"No. Thankfully Skip seems to have that" she stopped and giggled "or should I say 'her' well in hand." Marissa replied.

"What do you mean?" Summer asked.

"Well. It seems that Skip ended up staying the night on Wednesday and from what he told Ryan, they had quite a night. He was planning on seeing her again last night to replace the box of condoms they'd used. I think that Annabel is more interested in pilots right now than architects." Marissa stated. "And I'm very happy that she is."

"They didn't use a whole box in one night, surely?" Summer asked.

Marissa shrugged her shoulders. "That's the way it sounded."

"But surely they couldn't … I mean ... he couldn't…. how big a box was it?" Summer asked.

"I don't know. But I think even the smallest has about 6 or 8." Marissa suggested.

"Surely they couldn't use the whole lot in one night?" Summer asked.

Marissa could see that obviously Summer and Seth hadn't ever gone this far. She didn't want to say too much, scared that she may somehow make Summer think that she was missing out on something.

Summer watched her intently. "Tell me." Summer stated.

"What?" Marissa asked.

"I can see you're keeping something from me. Just tell me. How many times is normal?" Summer asked.

"What's normal?" Marissa shrugged, desperate to change the subject. "Let's get out of here. Maybe we can find new bikinis instead."

"Oh no you don't. I have an awful feeling I've been missing out here. Just tell me?" Summer insisted.

"Don't even think about comparing yourselves to what they did. It was one night and they were obviously sex starved. They probably had months and months to make up for." Marissa replied trying to reassure her friend." And they probably didn't know when the next opportunity might arise, so they just made the most of it." Marissa added.

"Let me tell you, I can't imagine Seth ever 'arising' six times in one night, no matter how long it had been." Summer stated. "I mean …. " she looked over at Marissa and then moved closed to whisper in her ear, suddenly aware that they were still in a public place. "Could Ryan?"

Marissa didn't know what to say. She didn't want to lie to her best friend but at the same time she was aware that if she told Summer the whole truth, then … well … she didn't think Summer would be pleased with the reply.

"Why don't we have a look in Victoria's Secret on the way back to the hotel. I'm sure there will be something there that the boys would like." Marissa replied and pulled Summer behind her.

Summer knew that Marissa was changing the subject and she could only think of one reason why she would be so desperate to do it. So six hey? She knew it would be a challenge but somehow she was going to try to break it tonight … or break Seth, she wasn't sure which would break first.

---

While the girls were shopping Ryan and Seth had gone and checked everything out. It was all in place. The game of shuffleboard was booked for 3. Seth was starting to feel really good. It was all starting to come together. They had caught up with Sandy and Kirsten and confirmed the plans for the evening and were making their way back to the hotel to meet the girls for lunch.

"I still need to get a few things for tonight." Seth said.

"What sort of things?" Ryan asked almost afraid of what the answer might be.

"Well that's just it. I thought you would have some ideas. You know this is much more your sort of thing." Seth suggested.

"Seth. I have already been more involved in your sex life than I ever wanted to be in anyone's beside my own. I'm sure you can come up with your own ideas."

"Come on man. Just a couple. Please." Seth pleaded.

Ryan grimaced. He closed his eyes and thought about a naked, trussed Marissa and all sorts of ideas flooded his mind, none of which he was willing to share. "I'm sorry, I can't do it. Just go with the normal things."

"Normal? What's normal about what I'm intending to do? I think we have a different view on normal." Seth muttered.

Ryan shook his head. How did he get himself into these positions? "What about flowers, champagne …" Ryan started and then added "… whipped cream, scented body lotion?"

"Wow. That's normal?" Seth asked.

"Just remember, one word to anyone about where the idea came from and your dead." Ryan glared at Seth.

"Dead. Right. But I do like your ideas. Let's just stop past the store on the way back and see what we can find." Seth responded. He really wanted to make this a night to remember for Summer. He hoped that she would be up to it. Never for a moment did he imagine that she had some plans of her own.


	59. The game, the problem

_Keep reviewing. It keeps me posting. Enjoy!_

**The game, the problem **

After meeting up with the girls, they had a leisurely lunch and it was nearing 2:30pm when Summer suggested they retreat to their respective rooms for a little nap.

"Noooo. I don't think that's a good idea." Seth answered. "I'm in the mood for a game of shuffleboard. What about you Ryan?"

"Shuffleboard? What? Are you the one that's turning 70?" Summer asked.

"Excuse me. Who's the one that wants to go and take an afternoon nap? That sounds like a very 70 year old thing to do. I think you've been watching too many Golden Girls reruns. At least I'm suggesting we get out and do something." Seth stressed. He was starting to panic. If he couldn't get her to play shuffleboard then all his plans would be ruined.

Marissa looked at Ryan wondering how they were going to stop their friends before this ended in a full scale argument. He looked back at her feeling helpless.

"How do you know that I wasn't planning on 'doing' something as well?" Summer asked.

"What sleeping?" Seth asked. "Very energetic."

"I had thought of 'doing' you. But I can see that spending the afternoon in bed with me doesn't interest you." Summer replied starting to tear up. She wiped at her eyes not wanting to let anyone see just how disappointed she was. Ever since her discussion with Marissa she had been thinking about getting Seth in to bed and now ... when they had an opportunity, he didn't want to even start. How would they ever get to six? She wouldn't mind betting that Ryan would be happy to spend the afternoon in bed with Marissa.

"Um Summ. Why don't we do both?" Marissa interrupted.

Seth looked at Ryan wondering just what he should do. This was definitely not going the way they had planned.

"Great idea." Ryan added. "A quick game of shuffleboard … followed by a 'nap'" Ryan used his fingers to indicate the quotes around the nap. "Sounds good to me." He looked at Summer. "What do you say Summ? Give it a go?" Ryan asked. He could see that she was wavering, keeping her gaze on Seth all the time.

"I guess … " she shrugged. "but maybe I don't care how long the shuffleboard takes. The appeal of the 'nap' seems to have vanished." Summer replied glaring at Seth.

Seth looked to Ryan for help. This wasn't at all how he wanted the afternoon to start.

"Come on. Let's go." Ryan said as he got up from the table. He looked across at Seth and saw nothing but panic written all over his face. Ryan had hoped that he and Marissa would have been able to leave Seth and Summer on their own, so that Seth could 'do the deed' in private. He didn't really want to be there when Seth proposed. He thought that it should be something just between the two of them. And he had hoped that he and Marissa would have been able to retire to their hotel room for the afternoon for one of those 'naps' that Summer had mentioned. But from the looks passing between Summer and Seth, he knew that he and Marissa would need to be there for the whole thing. The way they were looking at one another at the moment, if they were left alone together, it looked like Summer would go the full rage blackout on Seth.

---

They started the shuffleboard game and Summer had chosen Ryan as her partner. It was obvious that Seth was disappointed. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be happening. He looked at Ryan for some guidance. Ryan moved closer to him and when Summer was busy having her turn, he whispered to Seth. "It'll be all right. Don't you see, she's just disappointed because she wanted to spend time with you alone. This is a good sign. Don't panic."

Seth looked at him and nodded, obviously still not sure about whether to go through with it or not. "But what if …" he started.

"No buts. You're doing this." Ryan was starting to feel like some sort of mental skills coach.

Seth took a deep breathe. "Okay. But when? It all seemed so easy when you first suggested it."

"Just wait until the end of this game and then you can do it." Ryan glanced over at the new park bench that was so important to their plans only to see an elderly couple sit down on it.

Seth followed Ryan's gaze and then looked back at him horrified. "Now what am I supposed to do?"

"Don't worry. Marissa and I will get rid of them." Ryan assured Seth. It seemed that all their plans were going belly up at the moment. "Just finish this game and then challenge Summer to another on her own. Marissa and I will volunteer to go and get some drinks and while we're at it we'll also get rid of the unwanted guests." Ryan added. "Here's the ring." He handed the small box to Seth who slipped it into his pocket and looked his brother in the eyes. "Good luck. I know you don't really need it. Just remember, she loves you."

Seth smiled. At that very moment, Ryan was the best brother a man could ever ask for. He had said exactly what Seth needed to hear. He turned back to the game with renewed fervour and decided he couldn't wait for the moment.

---

As planned, at the end of the game, Ryan and Marissa decided that they would go and get some drinks and Seth challenged Summer to another game. She reluctantly agreed. It seemed that she didn't have any other option as the other two made it quite clear that they wanted some time alone. "We promise that we'll bring you back a drink." Marissa assured Summer.

Summer felt a bit like she was being deserted but she didn't seem to have any other option so she started to play again; her heart not really in it.

Seth on the other hand seemed to have taken some sort of happy pill and his demeanour was only making Summer even more reluctant.

---

After some discussion, it was agreed that Ryan would get the drinks while Marissa made her way over to the park bench to talk to the couple that were sitting there.

As she approached them, they started to look at her strangely. "Um hi." She said in greeting. "I know this might sound strange, but I was wondering if perhaps you would mind sitting somewhere else?" she asked.

They couple both looked at her strangely. "Why don't you sit somewhere else?" the small grey haired woman answered curtly.

"Well you see. It's not really for me. My friend over there …" She pointed towards Seth and Summer. " … wants to propose to his girlfriend and the proposal is actually engraved on to this park bench." Marissa tried to explain. The couple didn't move or say anything. "You see he wanted to make it special for her and since 'Notting Hill' is one of her favourite movies, he thought that doing it this way would be more memorable. That's why he got my …" Marissa looked for the right word " … boyfriend to organise a new park bench and put it here on purpose. It was only organised this week."

The old lady looked at Marissa. "We know it's new. That's why we like it. All the others have been here for years. We like the new one. It doesn't leave any marks on our clothes." The woman stubbornly commented.

Marissa looked at the man hoping that he may be more reasonable. "But you have to understand ... He had the plaque on this bench especially made just for her. Surely you would like to see them happy. You could sit on the next one along and watch it all happen ... knowing that you played a part in a young couple's happiness."

The man looked at Marissa. "Why would I care? No one cares about us being happy anymore."

"I'm sure that's not true." Marissa assured him. Marissa sighed and looked for Ryan. She was supposed to have the easy job. What ever happened to old people being pleasant? She could see Ryan coming in the distance and walked over to meet him. "We have a problem."

"What? Why are the people still there? Are they just minding the seat?" Ryan asked as he looked back at the still occupied park bench in question.

"No. Remember how you thought that old people were pleasant." She looked at Ryan as he nodded. "Well this pair is the exception to the rule. They don't want to move because they like the new seat. They don't like the old ones. And they couldn't care less about Seth proposing."

"Oh boy. This wasn't supposed to be this difficult." Ryan replied as he made his way over to the elderly couple who were now staring at the both of them. As he reached them, Ryan extended his hand to the man and said "Hi. I'm Ryan Atwood."

The man looked at Ryan's out stretched hand and said "And why would I care?"

Ryan pulled his hand back and turned to roll his eyes at Marissa. He realised he should have guessed that if the guy was impervious to Marissa's charms then he would have no problem with ignoring Ryan's. He hoped he might have better luck with the lady and turned to her. "Um hi."

"Don't bother turning those beautiful baby blues on me, sonny. Sure they would have made me go weak in the knees 40 years ago but it's too late now. I'm passed it. We like the new seat and that's all there is to it. So you're friend will just have to wait until we've left." She stated sternly.

Marissa couldn't help but smile at the fact that even this crusty little old lady had not been impervious to Ryan's good looks but then how could she blame her for that. It just proved that she may have been ornery but she wasn't blind.

Ryan looked to Marissa wondering what he could try next. It was obvious that Seth and Summer were nearing the end of their game and they would be coming to join them shortly. Ryan could think of only one thing. He said to Marissa "Can you hold these a second?" as he passed over the drinks in his hand and then he turned back to the couple squatted on Summer's bench. He reached in to his pocket and pulled out his wallet and turned back to the couple. "How much will it cost to get you to move?"

The couple were surprised but looked at one another silently sending messages but saying nothing.

Ryan pulled out $100. "All you have to do is move for 10 minutes. Then you can come back." He suggested.

The two on the bench still said nothing but firmly stayed where they were.

Ryan looked to Marissa who just shrugged her shoulders, she had no other ideas, so she thought bribery was worthwhile trying..

Ryan extracted another $100 note and tried again. "Please. I just want to make my friends happy. Surely you understand that?"

The elderly pair glanced at one another again and then finally he spoke up.

"$500 and …"

Ryan instantly started to pull the extra notes from his wallet upon hearing his words but then stopped. "And what?" he asked.

"And dinner." The old lady added.

"Dinner? You can buy dinner with $500." Marissa said.

"No. We want you to take us to dinner." The old lady explained.

"We'd be happy to, but unfortunately we have a birthday party to go to this evening and we return to LA tomorrow." Ryan added. "I'll happily throw in another $200 and you can go out to dinner tonight on me."

"Nope. Won't do. If you are going back to LA tomorrow then we have to have dinner with you tonight otherwise we're not moving." The husband explained as he crossed his arms in front of him suggesting that brute force would be the only other alternative.

Ryan looked at Marissa hoping that she might have some ideas. Marissa thought for a moment. She remembered a comment that the man had made when she had first spoken to them and she wondered. "Much as we would like to take you with us this evening it is a private celebration and I feel that you may feel left out but we'd be happy to have you join us for afternoon tea." She glanced at Ryan who was frowning obviously wondering what she was on about.

After a few exchanged glances between the two of them the old lady replied. "We seem to have come to an agreement. She held out her hand to Marissa "I'm Edna and this is my husband Cyril and we'd be happy to join you for afternoon tea." she said as if she was accepting a gracious invitation.

Marissa smiled, relieved that they had finally come to an agreement and shook her hand as Ryan shook hands with Cyril.

"Um hi." Ryan said. "I'm Ryan and this is Marissa my girlfriend."

"How do you do." Cyril stood and nodded to Marissa all of a sudden the picture of gentlemanly manners.

"We'll just wait over here until you're ready for tea." Edna stated as they stood up and made their way to the next bench along.

Ryan shook his head and looked at Marissa. "What was that all about?"

Marissa looked sad and said. "I think they are just lonely. They didn't care about the money. All they wanted was the company."

"Oh." Ryan said now feeling bad about all the thoughts that had been running through his mind about money hungry gold diggers. He looked over at his 'new friends' realising that by the time they had afternoon tea with them he would be pushing it to get any sort of 'nap' with Marissa. This day just wasn't working out the way he had planned. He looked up and noticed Seth and Summer making their way towards them, the game of shuffleboard obviously finished. Ryan looked around wondering what else could possibly go wrong.


	60. The proposal

_I'm happy that there still seems to be some people reading along. There's lots to go. Hope you enjoy this !_

**The proposal **

As Seth and Summer got closer, Marissa looked at Ryan and said. "Exactly how is this all supposed to happen?"

"I don't know. I organised the seat. But we didn't really talk about anything else." He replied. "I didn't imagine that we'd still be here at this stage. I was hoping that we'd be elsewhere." he said starting to look a little panic stricken.

"Well how about we sit down and cover it up until Seth gives the word?" Marissa suggested.

"Okay. If you think that will work?" Ryan replied. At this stage he was just happy that at least Marissa still seemed to have her wits about her.

Marissa and Ryan sat down in the middle of the bench making sure they covered the words.

As Seth and Summer joined them Ryan handed over their drinks and asked. "So who was the winner?"

"Seth. I think he's taken one of those happy pills he had at breakfast again. It's like he's supercharged or something." Summer stated. She didn't know whether to be angry or not. Seth really was behaving oddly but then maybe she needed him supercharged if she was ever going to get 6 times out of him tonight.

Seth exchanged looks with Ryan because he wasn't exactly sure how this was all supposed to happen. He was hoping for some indication from his brother but it didn't seem to be happening.

Summer opened her drink and then moved to one end of the bench seat. "Move along you two and let us sit down as well." She indicated as she sat down beside Marissa and then slid along the bench seat pushing Marissa and then in turn, Ryan towards the other end, so that there would be room for Seth as well, beside her. The only problem was that now she was sitting on top of the plaque.

Ryan and Marissa instantly stood up as if the seat was on fire.

"What are you doing? There is room for all of us. Just sit back down." Summer stated.

Ryan and Marissa both looked at Seth who didn't know quite what to do. There were glances flying everywhere between the three of them but nothing was being said.

"What's going on? Now you're all acting strangely." Summer said and then looked back at Seth. "Seth, if what ever you've got is contagious and I end up getting it then so help me you'll…" Summer began.

"The seats yours." Seth stated.

"What do you mean the seat's mine? Are you inferring that my backside is so big that I'm the only one that can fit on it? Because if that's the case then …"

"No. You're backside is perfect." Seth assured her. "I really mean that the seat is yours. Look at it." Seth stated.

Summer glanced at the seat either side of her and didn't understand what he was talking about. She looked back at Seth totally bemused, wondering had he really lost it this time.

"Look at the plaque." Marissa instructed.

Summer turned trying to find the plaque and then moved along the bench a little so that she could read it properly. It said.

_To Summer._

_You are, and always will be, the love of my life._

_Please marry me._

_I want to spend my life with you,_

_Growing old together._

_Seth._

Summer read the inscription and then turned to Seth who was kneeling in front of her clutching a small box. She looked at him the moisture in her eyes making it difficult to focus properly as he said.

"Summer Roberts, Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

Seth waited for an answer as the moisture in her eyes built to a point where it could no longer be contained and small tears started to escape and fall silently down her cheeks. Seth waited patiently for her to compose herself. He was just starting to get anxious when Summer nodded and then threw herself into his arms totally throwing him off balance so that Seth ended up flat on the ground with Summer on top of him. Seth had been so surprised that as he had tried to catch the flying dynamo as she'd launched herself towards him he had lost his grip on the ring and it had been flung into the garden. Fortunately Ryan noticed and went and retrieved it.

As Summer proceeded to kiss Seth all over his face like an affectionate puppy, Seth was trying to stop her. "Wait. Wait."

She looked up wondering why he would want to stop her. "I lost the ring." Seth added.

Ryan laughed. "Again …. That's twice in one day I've had to find this for you." He said as he handed it over. "Summer would you please put it on so that he can't lose it again. I migntn't be around for the third time."

Summer took the ring from Ryan and opened the box, gazing at it. "It's beautiful." she looked back up at Ryan. "So you knew all about this?" she said to Ryan.

Ryan nodded.

"You too?" she looked at Marissa who nodded as well.

"And this really is my park bench?" she looked at Seth.

"Yep."

"I love you all. No wonder you've all been acting strangely all day. You know you're lucky I said yes. I was really starting to wonder about you." She said to Seth. "I can't believe it. We're actually engaged. I was starting to think it would never happen." Summer said.

Ryan looked at Seth as if to say I told you so.

Summer kept looking at the ring. "I'm so excited. I have a wedding to plan. And Coop you're going to be my bridesmaid and Ryan will be Seth's best man and ..."

"Why does Ryan get to be 'Best Man'? I think if it's my wedding then I should be the best man there. Otherwise it's not fair." Seth suggested.

Ryan shrugged his shoulders. "That's fine with me. But I'm not sure that Summer wants me as the groom." Ryan suggested.

"You're right there. Plus, Coop's my best friend and I don't think she'd talk to me again if that was to happen. So Cohen just suck it up and deal with it. Ryan's the 'Best Man' and you're the Groom."

"Okay. When you put it like that." Seth smiled and pulled his fiancé in for a kiss.

Summer happily obliged and then turned to Ryan and Marissa and suggested "Let's go and celebrate. It may be only 4 o'clock, but you don't get engaged everyday. I think this calls for champagne."

Ryan looked at Marissa and then over at Edna and Cyril who were sitting watching the goings on. "That sounds great but unfortunately we will have to join you this evening to toast in your happiness. We have to go and have tea with our new friends over there." He motioned towards Edna and Cyril.

Seth looked at him. "What?" he asked looking back at the elderly couple.

"We'll explain later. Let's just say that you owe me or should I say us." He said as he put his hand out waiting for Marissa's to join his.

Marissa was busy hugging her best friend. "Congratulations Summ. We really would like to come with you but we have to do this. We'll explain later. I promise you that we'll celebrate with you this evening. You two go and have a quiet celebration on your own." Marissa leant forward and whispered in Summer's ear. "You haven't got time for six before dinner but I'm sure you could make a start."

Summer smiled feeling herself blush at the implications of her friend's words. She had been about to try to insist that their friends join them but suddenly, thanks to Marissa, she had a better idea. "Cohen let's go. We can have champagne later. They've got things to do." She looked back at Marissa and smiled. "And so have we …. "


	61. Afternoon Tea

_Okay so I don't know what is going on with the email notification because I didn't know that anyone had reviewed, so I'm sorry if this took a bit longer than usual. I thought that everyone must have hated it. Hopefully that's not the case. So - on with the show!_

**Afternoon Tea **

Marissa and Ryan went to a small coffee shop nearby and had tea with Edna and Cyril. They were actually quite nice people, just lonely. They had no children of their own and had only moved to Miami recently so they knew very few people there and were having trouble making friends. Ryan excused himself to go and make a phone call and when he returned he waited for a break in the conversation and asked.

"I was wondering if you would like to join us for dinner tonight after all?"

Edna looked at Cyril and replied. "I thought you had a birthday party to go to?"

"Yeah we do. But I've just spoken with the host and he would be pleased if you could join us. You see we're already going to be a surprise for the birthday girl so it just means that she will have a couple of more surprise guests." Ryan assured them.

"That's very nice of you Ryan but we really couldn't impose. It was bad enough that we basically blackmailed you and Marissa into spending time with us this afternoon when I'm sure you had other things planned." Cyril replied.

Ryan looked over at Marissa and thought that Cyril was definitely right about that but he turned back to him and pressed him further. "Nonsense. And you need to meet the Cohen's. I assure you, whenever they get together, it's the more the merrier."

Marissa added. "I promise he's telling the truth. They are terrific. They have always included me and made me feel welcome."

"You don't think that perhaps, that is because it is so obvious that Ryan loves you?" Edna asked.

Marissa looked at Ryan. "Obvious hey?"

Ryan smiled but said nothing.

"He might as well have a neon sign on his forehead." Edna laughed.

"If you are trying to embarrass me, you will have to do more than that." Ryan suggested to the old lady as he squeezed Marissa's hand. Marissa laughed.

"I don't think you should be laughing" Edna said to Marissa. "You're no better than him."

"Sorry?" Marissa asked wondering how the attention had got turned onto her. She was enjoying watching Edna tease Ryan.

"Well Cyril and I thought it should be you two getting engaged not your friends." She added. "It's obvious that you are both very much in love."

Ryan looked over at Marissa and a silent connection was made. They both knew that today's events would bring them one step closer to being able to share their news with the world. But today was Seth and Summer's day.

Marissa broke away from Ryan's gaze and turned back to Edna "So will you join us?" Marissa asked again.

Edna looked to Cyril and then back to the young couple. "Are you certain it won't be a problem?"

"Definitely. I wouldn't have asked if I'd thought otherwise." Ryan assured her.

"Then okay. We'd love to." Cyril replied. "You just tell us where and when."

"Oscars on the Beach at 7. Do you know where that is?" Ryan asked.

"Yes we do. We actually went there for our wedding anniversary a few weeks ago and we've been looking for an excuse to return." Cyril informed them.

"Well then we'd better get going. I can assure you it takes me a lot longer to look respectable than it does Marissa." Edna said standing up to go. "We'll meet you there."

"Are you sure you're right to get there? We could come by and collect you." Ryan asked.

"No No. We'll be fine. It's no trouble for us at all. We're looking forward to it." Cyril assured them as he and his wife moved towards the door.

"Okay see you soon." Ryan replied.

"Bye." Marissa said as the elderly couple left and she turned to Ryan. "What happened there?"

Ryan shrugged as he pulled out some cash to pay for their bill and put it on the table. "I just thought it might be an opportunity for them to meet a few more people their age. So I called Sandy and told him about them and he agreed and said to bring them along. Plus …" he said as a big smile appeared on his face.

"Plus?" Marissa asked.

"I sort of anticipated that they would take off as soon as it was settled so they could go and get ready and … that means if we head straight back to the hotel then we should have time to …" Ryan raised his eyebrows at her making sure that she got his meaning.

"Why Mr Atwood whatever are you suggesting?" Marissa teased as she pulled him towards the door almost knocking over a chair in her haste.

Ryan laughed as he caught the chair and steadied it and then he trailed behind her. "If I'm the one doing the suggesting then how come you're the one leading?" he asked.

"I just want to make sure that you remember the way." she replied pulling him back out into the street only to be confronted by two photographers obviously intent on making a nuisance of themselves.

Marissa hesitated not sure what to do and dropped Ryan's hand as if it burnt.

Ryan just took her hand back in his again and started to jog down the street. "Come on. We're only a block from the hotel. I figure we can out run them."

"Just don't use up all your energy." Marissa laughed.

Ryan turned to smile at her. "Why? Am I going to need it?" he asked.

"You bet." She smiled as she followed behind.

---

Marissa and Ryan were ready by 6:45 and she called Seth and Summer's room to see if they wanted to walk to the restaurant with them. They knew that Sandy and Kirsten had gone to collect the Nana so it would just be the four of them.

The phone rang for quite a while and Marissa was just starting to think that perhaps they had left without them when Summer answered.

"Yeah." She said breathlessly. Marissa figured that she had probably run for the phone.

"Summ. It's me. Are you guys ready to go? We thought we could walk there together." Marissa suggested.

"Ah … ah … aaahhh" Summer said.

Marissa looked over at Ryan and smiled.

"Summ?" Marissa couldn't help but grin as she heard the noises coming from the other end of the phone. "Are you coming?" she asked laughing to herself at her little joke.

"Oh … oh … oh … Yeah" Summer replied barely able to speak.

Marissa started to laugh. "Okay so we'll just see you there. We'll explain that you might be a little late. Enjoy. Oh and Summ?"

"Ah…ah…ah…yeah…" Summer groaned.

"How's the count going?" Marissa asked.

"THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Summer answered as Marissa replaced the phone back into its cradle.

---

Marissa turned to Ryan and laughed.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"I think that Seth and Summer may be running a little late … or a lot late. They are doing a little celebrating of their own." She replied. "She sounds like she's enjoying herself so much, I'm even feeling a little jealous." She looked over at Ryan.

"What a quickie in the shower just isn't enough?" he asked.

"No. Not any more." Marissa replied. "See what you've done to me." she added as she moved around to rub her hands over the smooth fabric of his shirt. Knowing what lay beneath the shirt, the smooth taut muscles that covered his torso only made Marissa want to peel the shirt from his body and start all over again.

Ryan gulped as her felt her hands upon him. "Well we could always call Sandy and tell him we got held up." Ryan suggested.

"That's true." She smiled. "For me at least. You did hold me up …. against the wall of the shower." She thought about their recent activities. Her body still tingled from the afterglow of their love-making. It seemed the more she had of him, the more she wanted. "But we can't. We have to be there on time to meet Edna and Cyril. They don't know any of the others and they'll be lost without us." Marissa regretted every word she said. She wanted to feel him back inside her. She knew she would never be able to get enough of him.

"Yeah. You're right." Ryan replied taking a deep breathe and trying to concentrate on thinking about Edna and Cyril. Anything but Marissa. Otherwise they would never get out of the room. It was as if the taste of her in the shower had only made him want her even more. He knew he was going to spend the dinner just waiting for the end of the evening when they could return to the room and spend some private time together. "Come on. We'd better get going. But with a bit of luck, it won't be a late night and we can come back and I'll see if I can satisfy you the next time around." Ryan suggested kissing her lightly as he put the room key in his pocket.

"And the next time?" she asked.

Ryan smiled. "Then too."

"And the next time?" Marissa asked again a big smile finding its way on to her face.

Ryan looked at her surprised. "Are we going to have one of those nights, are we?"

"If I have anything to do with it we will. Summer's going for six tonight and you know that I have a very competitive nature." Marissa assured him.

"Why six?" Ryan asked.

"Well when we were shopping this morning, I happened to let slip that Skip and Annabel had used a packet of condoms on Wednesday night. Summer obviously felt that she had been missing out so she decided that she wanted to see if they could break six tonight. I hope Seth slept well last night. He may need to call on all of his energy reserves." Marissa suggested.

"And you're expecting to break it too, I gather?" Ryan asked.

"Well, I don't see why I should miss out. Why? Don't you like the idea? Not feeling up to the challenge?" Marissa asked.

"I didn't say that." Ryan replied laughing as he pulled her towards him.

"Good, because I have a few things in mind that I think you might be interested in." Marissa suggested.

"Well then, I think you should be in charge. It sounds like you are full of ideas and I'd just love to help you make them a reality." Ryan added. "But if we don't leave now then I don't think you'll be able to get me out of here at all."

"Okay then. " Marissa said. "Let's do it."

"I thought we just agreed that we'd do it when we got back." Ryan teased.

"Sorry. Let's go. Is that better?" Marissa asked.

"Not really. I liked your first suggestion more." Ryan replied as he pulled her back from the door to kiss her once again.

"You know you're making it very difficult just to get out the door?" Marissa stated.

"Yeah. But the problem is that now that the paparazzi are on to us, I'm going to have to be on my best behaviour once we leave this room and you know how hard it is for me to do that around you." Ryan replied.

"I have noticed it's often 'hard' around me." Marissa replied.

Ryan laughed. "Out the door now or we're going to miss dinner all together." He said as he opened the door to move into the lift vestibule.

Marissa laughed as she moved before him. Ryan closed the door and followed her to the lift. He took her hand in his and smiled. "You know what Seth and Summer getting engaged means?"

"Um. That they are going to get married?" Marissa replied innocently.

"I mean to us?" Ryan added sure that she already knew where he was going with this.

"Um … That we will be in the wedding party and I'll get a new dress?" Marissa looked innocently back at him again.

"Is that all it means to you?" Ryan asked pretending to pout because he knew she was just teasing him.

"I may have a couple of other ideas. But I should probably wait until we're back in the room to discuss them with you." Marissa replied as the lift arrived and they entered it.

"Let me assure you. When I get you back to the room … talking is not what I had in mind." Ryan replied leaving her in no doubt about his intentions.


	62. The celebration

_Thanks for the reviews. I'm happy to see that a few more readers seem to have joined in. Enjoy !_

**The celebration**

The dinner was going well. Sophie had been delighted by the unexpected guests at her birthday celebration. She was in fine form. Even though Seth and Summer had been late arriving, all had been forgiven once they had shared their news. The double celebration had been commemorated with champagne and Edna and Cyril had met Sophie and her good friends Bob and Bev and they were all getting along famously. The band started playing some slow dance music and Ryan excused himself and asked Kirsten to dance with him leaving Sophie with Marissa.

"It's lovely to see you again Marissa." The Nana said.

"You too. It's been a long time. Too long." Marissa stated.

"I couldn't agree more." Sophie replied as they both watched Ryan and Kirsten move around the dance floor. "He's quite a guy you know?"

"I know." Marisa replied watching Ryan. She couldn't take her eyes off him.

Sophie hesitated and then made a decision and started again. "Look. I'm too old not to just come right out with what's on my mind. Who knows how long I'll be around? So if I don't say what I'm thinking then I may not ever get the chance again. If I upset you with what I'm about to say then I apologise. But Ryan has become too important to me to just sit here and not say anything."

Marissa looked at her wondering just what she was going to say. "Go on." She urged.

"When Sandy first told me about Ryan, I don't mind telling you that I was surprised. I had dealt with kids like him all my working life but never in a million years did I think about taking one into my own home. I thought that Sandy was taking a big risk." She looked at Ryan, following him with her eyes and a smile found its way onto her face. "But over the years, I have gotten to know him and he is an exceptional young man. Given what he has come from and how hard he has worked to get to where he is today … he is nothing short of remarkable. I couldn't be more proud of him, if he was my own flesh and blood." She added.

"And?" Marissa asked sensing that Sophie hadn't finished yet.

"Well. I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but when you left the last time … " Sophie shook her head. "Well I wasn't living with him ... but when I did see him he was a shattered young man. I don't want you to ever do that to him again."

Marissa smiled "I assure you I have no intention of doing that."

"Good ... Mind you I guess you would have said that before you left the last time too." Sophie replied still a bit skeptical.

Marissa thought for a moment. "You're right. But I don't know if you realise that we have recently become aware of the fact that my mother was the reason that we split up the last time. I can assure you that will never happen again. I have no intention of ever speaking to her again." She added.

"I doubt that will be the case. She's your mother. Whatever she has done, at some point you need to try to make things right with her. Sandy and I have had our moments over the years, I can assure you. But underneath it all, we have always loved one another." Sophie assured Marissa.

"That may be true for you and Sandy but I'm sorry I can't agree when it comes to my mother and I … I will never be able to forgive her for what she did to us. And there really is no point in you trying to change my mind. Ryan has already tried." Marissa stated.

"But surely …" Sophie started.

"Mrs Cohen .."

"Sophie, please."

"Okay Sophie. I'd really rather we not talk about this anymore. This is your night and Seth and Summer's. The last thing I want to do is think about my mother." Marissa assured her.

"Okay, I'll let it pass for now. But it's obvious from the way Ryan looks at you that he still loves you."

"I assure you the feeling is mutual." Marissa stated.

"So if he asked you to marry him?" Sophie fished.

Marissa smiled wondering what the old lady would say if she actually knew the truth. Just at that moment Ryan looked over at Marissa and the look they exchanged was filled with love. "All I can say is …." she thought for a moment trying to find the right words so that she wouldn't be lying to the old lady. "I promise, if and when he asks, I will say yes."

Sophie smiled to herself satisfied with the answer. "That's good. I don't mind telling you how happy I am that Seth is finally making an honest woman out of Summer. I know that this sort of thing is supposed to be accepted nowadays but let me tell you, I'm still from the old school. And as far as I'm concerned, the only reason two people should live together is if they intend to spend their lives together and if that's the case then wedding rings should be exchanged to prove the strength of that commitment."

Marissa smiled to herself. She had never thought that she was old fashioned but the fact was that she couldn't wait to do exactly as Sophie had suggested. Much as she wanted to feel Ryan's wedding band on her finger, she also couldn't wait until she would be putting one on Ryan's finger. Then they would truly be inseparable. The time couldn't come soon enough for her.

"So you're enjoying acting?" Sophie asked trying to find another subject for conversation since it was obvious that talking about Julie would only make things awkward.

"It's fine. I'm not sure that I want to make a career out of it, but it has been fun." Marissa replied.

"So do you have something else in mind? Or is their a chance that I could convince you to start a family? After you two get married of course." Sophie added just to make sure that Marissa understood what order she felt things should happen in. "I'm not getting any younger you know? And I'd Iove to have some great grand children to show off to my friends."

Marissa smiled. "Surely you should be working on Seth and Summer then." Marissa suggested.

"Oh. Don't worry I will. But I can't wait to see yours and Ryan's children as well. And as far as I'm concerned they will still be my great grandchildren, just as much as Seth and Summer's."

"Well, I'm actually supposed to only be in LA for a few more weeks." Marissa stated realising that she had been so happy with Ryan that she hadn't really given much thought at all to what would happen when the movie was finished.

"But what will you do then?" Sophie asked, frowning at the thought of Marissa leaving again. She knew that Ryan would be devastated.

"Well, I guess I still live in Paris." Marissa said realising for the first time how much it hurt to say that. She could no longer imagine her home as being anywhere but with Ryan. "I have a lot of modelling work still lined up in Europe. When I signed up to do the movie, I didn't realise just what being back here would lead to."

Sophie smiled as she looked at the young woman beside her. "You can kid yourself about that if you like, but I don't believe for a minute that you weren't hoping to rekindle things with Ryan. You pair have always had a connection that is almost unique. Attraction you can find anywhere, what you two have is special. You would have been a fool to ignore it because you'll only find it once in a lifetime."

Marissa nodded. A feeling of contentment came over her. She didn't know what it was that made the Nana so wise. But what she had just said, Marissa realised, was entirely correct.

---

Sandy walked over to where his mother and Marissa were and asked. "How about I get the birthday girl out on the dance floor?"

"No. My old bones are starting to feel a bit weary. Why don't you take the opportunity to take this lovely young lady out onto the dance floor? And if she steps on your toes then you could always swap partners with Ryan and get your wife to dance with you." Sophie suggested. "And I'm sure that Ryan would like that idea as well." She added smiling, as she exchanged glances with Marissa.

Sandy smiled. "Marissa, it seems like you've been nominated to be my dance partner. And since it's her birthday we have to do as she wishes. So would you do me the pleasure of dancing with me?" Sandy asked.

"I'd love to." She turned to Sophie. "Will you be alright here by yourself?"

"Certainly. I'm actually going to visit the bathroom first and then I'll come back and watch you as you glide gracefully around the floor." Sophie replied.

"Don't watch too carefully or you might actually see me step on a few toes." Marissa assured her as she stood and took Sandy's hand.

Sandy escorted Marissa out on to the dance floor and they slowly started to move to the music.

"What do you think about Seth and Summer's news?" Marissa asked.

"We couldn't be happier." Sandy replied glancing over at Seth and Summer as they moved around the dance floor.

Marissa smiled, even though she had asked just him, he had answered with a 'we'. She hoped that she and Ryan would be as close as Sandy and Kirsten were. They had always seemed to her to be the perfect couple. Sure they'd had a few problems over the years but they had always seemed to be invincible to her. Completely the opposite to her own parents, who had fallen apart at the first sign of trouble.

Sandy added "I guess that we've been expecting it for a while. But you know what my son is like. Part of me was wondering if we would have to wait for a leap year so that Summer could do the proposing."

Marissa laughed. "Yeah ... I know that Ryan had to give him a little helping hand to get him to actually go through with it this time."

Sandy smiled. "That doesn't surprise me. And now that Ryan has some experience with planning this sort of thing it might mean that Ryan won't procrastinate like Seth has done. One of the good things about Ryan is that once he makes up his mind that he wants something, he will usually pull out all stops until he makes it happen." Sandy hinted and looked at the lovely young woman in his arms as she started to turn a delicate shade of pink as she realised exactly what he was implying. "But come on, how about I switch partners with him. He's been giving me the evil eye ever since we came on to the dance floor and you know it doesn't pay to upset Kid Chino so I'd better give him what he wants. And my money is on the fact that what he wants, is to dance with you."

Marissa smiled. She didn't say a word. But Sandy could see from the shy smile on her face that she felt exactly the same way.

---

When the exchange was over and Marissa moved into Ryan's arms she couldn't help but feel like she was coming home. She melted in to him, as his arms moved to hold her and her head rested on his shoulder taking in the smell of him that she loved so much.

Ryan held her to him as they moved to the music. The scent of her filled him and he felt himself relax. There was something that just felt right with the world whenever she was in his arms. His let his right hand that was on her back just above her waist move slowly lower, pulling her closer towards him as he did so, making their hips meld together. In his left hand he held her right one and he used his thumb to stroke her palm indicating a promise that he would like to be stroking other parts of her as well. She used her head to snuggle further into the gap between his shoulder and his neck and he could feel himself responding to her. With his right hand he pressed her to him again removing all space between them so that she could feel the obvious reaction that she was evoking through the fabric of his pants and she pulled her face back a little to smile at him, making sure that he knew that she had picked up his silent message of want and she moved her hips slightly against his hardness to show him that her need matched his own. She licked her lips and Ryan gave a small gasp as he watched her tongue move slowly across the lips that he wanted to possess so badly. They were getting lost in one another.

Suddenly Seth was by their side. "Um. I just thought that you two might want to cool things down a little."

Ryan and Marissa pulled back a little surprised by his interruption.

Seth nodded behind him towards a corner of the restaurant. "Photographers at 10 o'clock, taking a very big interest in the two of you."

Ryan and Marissa looked where he was indicating and confirmed that there were indeed a couple of guys with cameras trying to use an indoor plant for cover.

Ryan pulled back a little more; disappointed that he and Marissa hadn't been able to continue with their 'dance'. "We're only dancing." Ryan stated.

"Yeah 'only dancing'. But from the looks that you were giving one another, I was scared that you may have forgotten that you were in a public place. I thought you were about to do it on the dance floor. I know that the guys over there would have enjoyed the show but you do have to remember that the oldies are with us." Seth added. "Still you never know, maybe they've been there before. They could have some experience to share with us."

"Seth. I can't believe you are even thinking that way. Stop asking everyone else about their experiences and just get your own." Ryan stopped what he was saying as he recalled what Marissa had told him earlier. "From what I hear, tonight is going to be quite a night, if it hasn't been already." He laughed.

Seth blushed. He looked over at the table and realised that everyone was making a move to leave. "It looks like the oldies are off to bed." He looked at Ryan. "So I guess that means we should be too." He and Ryan exchanged smiles both knowing that bed would not necessarily mean sleep for either of them. At least, not for quite some time.

"Right behind you." Ryan added as they made their way from the dance floor to say their farewells. He couldn't get out of there fast enough.


	63. The birth of Bridezilla

_Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad that you seem to be enjoying it._

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**The birth of Bridezilla**

After saying their farewells, the reformed Fantastic Four made their way back to the hotel. It was about 4 blocks so they decided to walk. Since they were still being followed by the photographers it was decided that Summer and Marissa would walk in front and Ryan and Seth would walk behind. That way they hoped that the photographers might give up and go away, knowing that they weren't going to get any good shots of Ryan and Marissa together.

Summer talked non-stop, already starting to make wedding plans and asking Marissa for suggestions on any number of things from dates, to places, to style of dress. For someone who had been wanting to get married for so long, she really didn't have any definite ideas at all about just how she wanted to go about it, except that she wanted it to be huge. It seems that in her mind she had planned at least one wedding, every year that she and Seth had been going out. It's was just that it had taken him so long to propose that she now had about ten completely different styles of wedding to choose from and she didn't know which one she liked most. She had called her father who was happy for her. He had learnt to get over his initial reservations about Seth many years ago when he had realised that Seth was what, or who, Summer needed to make her happy. Her father had assured her that whatever she wanted he would be happy to provide. But that just made it even more difficult for her to decide.

Marissa did her best to respond at the right moments, she was happy for her friend but really all she could think about was the fact that she would like to be planning one of her own. She just hoped that Seth and Summer wouldn't wait too long so that then she and Ryan could think about moving forward themselves.

---

The boys followed behind amazed at the fact that Summer had barely stopped to take a breathe. As long as Marissa gave a nod every now and again, that was all that Summer required and then she started off again. She obviously had her second wind and it didn't look as though she would be running out of steam anytime soon. Ryan couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't laugh. What am I going to do with her?" Seth asked his brother.

Ryan just laughed some more ... saying nothing, but shaking his head.

Seth added. "She's like a woman possessed. Has been ever since she got the ring on her finger." He wiggled his hand in the air and looked at Ryan with his eyes bulging. "It's like it gives her some sort of special powers or something. Maybe it would have been better if it had been lost in the garden today." He leant in to talk quietly to Ryan. "You know my special plans I had for tonight?"

"Uh huh. But I really don't need you to go into details." Ryan responded hoping that Seth would keep it all to himself.

"But that's just it. I don't think I've got it in me to even begin with them … you have no idea what we got up to after we left you this afternoon. I mean, I thought I might get lucky but nothing like what went on …I didn't even know you could do it like that… She must have been taking lessons from Marissa or something man. I mean I didn't think I'd even be able to get out of bed for dinner but she assured me that I would need sustenance for round 2." Seth added.

Ryan just smiled at him. It sounded like Seth was finally gaining some experience of his own and hopefully he wouldn't need to ask for advice anymore. Ryan was grateful for that.

"I mean what does she mean by round 2? I'm not sure that I can even get it up again. I think you need to go into training for something like this. I'm a sprinter … not a marathon man. You might need to be ready in case I have to call for a substitution." Seth suggested.

Ryan just laughed. "I've got plans of my own. You'll just have to rise to the occasion."

"I'm not sure that I can. I don't think that I've got anything left. You know there are only so many little Seth's kept in that bag ..."

"Seth. You have just stepped … no leapt … way over the mark. I'm not interested, less than that. I don't want to know anything about your … " Ryan shook his head trying to rid himself of the knowledge that Seth had just imparted. "Just know that you have to get through at least another three before you have any chance of getting a rest." Ryan said making his brother aware of his obligations for the evening.

"Another three? You've got to be joking. I'm thinking that I'll be asleep before my head hits the pillow." Seth suggested.

"Well then I advise you to do it standing up because you'll never hear the end of it if you don't get to six. Just think man. At least you're half way there." Ryan stated as he gave Seth a pat on the back trying to encourage him.

"Six? In one night? I'd really like to know … just how you would know … that six is the magic number. But right now I have bigger problems. I doubt I'll even be able to move in the morning and that's supposing that I can actually rise to the occasion." Seth was looking concerned about whether he was going to be able to make it through the night.

"Maybe you could borrow her ring and put it on your finger? It might give you some super powers." Ryan suggested as they reached the entrance to their hotel and made their way to the lifts.

"Very funny. But I'm a man who likes a challenge." He took a deep breathe. "I just hope this won't be the death of me."

Ryan smiled. "Well just think … what a way to go."

---

After Ryan and Marissa had said their good nights to Seth and Summer they made their way to their room. Both were quiet as they thought about the evening and what the implications were for the two of them. Neither had spoken about it, but they both knew without saying a word, just how important today's events were in the scheme of their own future.

Marissa stood almost chastely beside Ryan as he inserted the key to open the door. He stood to one side and waited for Marissa to enter before him and then followed her and once inside their suite he closed and locked the door and then turned back and looked at her. Still not a word had been spoken. The looks exchanged between the two were enough for each to know exactly what was on the other's mind. Marissa slowly walked over and turned on the stereo system and found an instrumental CD of love songs and put it on. She turned back to him as he now stood watching her from the middle of the room, taking in the grace that she moved with. The soft sounds of a string orchestra filled the room.

"How about we finish that dance?" she whispered her voice deep and husky with desire for him.

Ryan needed no further encouragement. He didn't reply but he moved to take her in his arms. As she felt his arms encircle her, she closed her eyes, revelling in the feel of him. They held each other, moving slowly to the music as their bodies spoke to one another of a mutual need. As Ryan pulled her closer to him, Marissa buried her head back into the hollow between his neck and his chest breathing deeply of the scent that was uniquely his. When she felt his head move, she looked up only to have his lips meet hers in a kiss that was achingly sweet. A kiss that told of longing ... and a connection that was much more than just physical. Slowly, Ryan lightly kissed her forehead, and then her eyelids and her nose, then over her cheeks, moving slowly and savouring each taste of her.

Marissa closed her eyes again as she lost herself in the emotions that he was evoking. She moved her hips closer to him grinding herself in to his emerging hardness wanting to feed the need she had for him and only him.

Ryan moved lower and kissed down to the sensitive hollow at the base of her neck as Marissa gasped, loving the feelings that he was awakening in her body. Ryan moved the spaghetti straps of her dress off her shoulders, kissing her shoulders as they were left bare and the bodice dropped to her waist leaving her breasts exposed to his mouth as he continued his descent down her body.

Marissa luxuriated in the feel of his mouth and hands upon her, but much as she was enjoying it, it was not enough. She wanted to feel him. She pulled him back up and her lips met his in a kiss that told him exactly where this was headed and then she moved her hands to his shirt, slowly unbuttoning it until the last button was free and she could move it from his shoulders, ridding him of it and the wife beater that he had been wearing so that they could rub their bare chests together; her nipples becoming aroused at the feel of his chest upon hers. His skin was smooth and taut over the ripple of muscles and it only served to heighten her desire for him even more as she ran her hands over his beautiful body. They continued to move slowly to the music.

This dance of love needing no words; they were in no hurry. They wanted to enjoy each other for as long as possible.

Ryan pulled her closer, placing his hands over her perfectly shaped buttocks and moving her to make sure that she could feel the effect that she was having upon him and as he held her he slowly started to gather up her skirt in his hands until his hands were on her thong and he quickly bent and removed it and Marissa kicked off her shoes.

Marissa returned to her dance with him but her hands couldn't help but move towards his belt wanting to free his hardness that she could feel yearning to be released. She quickly removed his trousers and boxers as he kicked off his shoes leaving him in just his socks. They continued to move to the music not wanting to rush things but savouring each taste, each movement. Marissa still with her dress hanging from her waist but naked beneath. Ryan in just his socks holding her to him as she began to kiss his shoulder and then his chest moving down over his six pack. She stood back up and took his hand and gazed longingly at him and started to pull him slowly towards the bedroom never breaking eye contact with him. The gaze between them was intense.

When she reached the bed she slipped off her dress leaving her naked and she lay down upon it and pulled him to lie beside her. They were slowly drowning in each others eyes. Their hands started to move over one another. Slowly at first, but each touch increased the need they had for each other.

Marissa pulled Ryan on top of her and arched her back guiding him to enter her. As she felt her body encompass him a small tear trickled from her eye. She was overcome with emotion and love for this man. She loved him more than she had ever thought possible and this union was the sweetest they had ever experienced.

Ryan thrust into her deeply and slowly, still in time with the music, again and again he moved inside her until he watched her cry out his name and only then would he allow himself to go as he shuddered his release over and over again ... They held one another knowing that nothing would ever be quite the same again.


	64. The dawn of a new day

_Thanks for the reviews. You know that they keep me motivated. Especially Liz - I loved your comments and I Heart Kid Chino - thanks for letting me know that the story had motivated you to join in. I hope that you stick around. As for all my other lovely regulars - please know that I don't take you for granted. I appreciate all your feed back. _

_Now enough of my rambling - on with the story. Emjoy!_

**The dawn of a new day**

Marissa stirred and glanced at the clock. It was very early, still dark outside but since they'd forgotten to close the curtains again, she could make out the first strains of light appearing in the sky. She thought back to the night they'd had. They had made sweet, sweet love well into the early morning and she knew that she should still be asleep but she still hadn't satiated herself of him. It seemed that the more she had, the more she wanted. She moved to kiss the naked man beside her, running her hand over him in an attempt to wake him from his slumber.

Ryan started to smile as he felt her lips upon him and her fhands moving over him. He opened his eyes slightly, taking in the still dark room and whispered to her. "Again?"

Marissa smiled. "Maybe? But first I want to watch the dawn over the ocean with you. We never get to see it on the west coast. So come and sit with me on the balcony. It'll all be over in about 10 minutes and we can come back to bed." She suggested as she pulled back the sheet to get up.

Ryan watched her shape as it moved in the still dark room. The silhouette of her perfect naked body against the outside sky made his body respond yet again, even though he knew that he should have had enough of her by now. It was as if that would never be possible. Ryan followed suit and reluctantly slid out of the bed. The air was cool on their skins and Marissa picked up his shirt from last night to slip on and then threw his wife beater at him. "Here put this on." She grabbed a cotton blanket from the shelf in the wardrobe and as Ryan bent to retrieve a pair of boxers from the floor Marissa spoke up. "Don't bother with those."

He looked up surprised by her request.

"I promise to keep you warm." Marissa said. "And it would only mean that I'd have to take them back off you." She smiled; a knowing glint in her eyes.

Fortunately it was still early and there was no one around because Ryan felt decidedly uncomfortable walking out on to the balcony in just a wife beater with no pants on, especially as the effect of her words on him was already quite obvious, but he did as he was told. Marissa laughed at his embarrassment and as she motioned for him to sit in a chair looking out over the ocean, she whispered to him. "Don't be embarrassed. I love the fact that I can still do that to you, even after the workout we've had all night. You could be excused if you couldn't get it up, but I can't tell you how happy I am that you can."

Ryan smiled and pulled her down to sit on his lap leaving her in no doubt about the strength of his erection and they watched the glow that was slowly beginning to appear on the horizon. Marissa laid the blanket over them and Ryan started to move his hands under the shirt that she was wearing. Moving them up her sides and around in front until he cupped her breasts. He started to tweak at her nipples feeling their arousal as Marissa started to move on his lap causing him arousal problems of his own. Ryan moved one hand down over her stomach and between her legs until he could slowly start to stroke her. As his fingers worked their magic on her, she started to squirm in his lap and when he finally inserted two fingers into her she gasped at the intensity of the feelings that he was evoking. He moved to turn her so that he could kiss her but she refused to turn around.

"Not right now. I need to watch the dawn, you should too." Marissa whispered huskily. He was disappointed that she was more interested in the dawn than him but he should have known better. She continued to move on his lap and then reached her hand down between his legs to softly stroke his sack and she could feel him straining beneath her. She smiled and said. "I hope your watching the dawn." As she lifted herself slightly and positioned his hardness so that when she sat back down he entered her, feeling her warmth encompass him with the cool air on their bodies. Ryan slid lower in the chair so that he could penetrate deeper and then he started to move within her as she rode him. The streaks of light in the sky getting bolder and bolder as they moved together. Over and over, the intensity of their feelings matching the rising intensity of the light in the sky…until … as the sun burst over the horizon, Marissa cried out as she felt the waves of ecstasy flow over her and then he exploded within her. She sagged against him and pulled the blanket further up their bodies and they rested again. Their passion spent. At least for the moment.

They sat in silence for quite a while watching until the soft orange ball was fully visible and then Ryan pulled out and turned Marissa slightly to kiss her.

Ryan spoke softly. "You know I've never considered myself a morning person but if that's what I've been missing out on then I think I could change. It was amazing."

"Yeah. In more ways than one. Are you referring to the dawn or …" she smiled as she left her question open ended.

"Both." He replied as he deepened the kiss between them.

Even though her body almost ached from their strenuous activities of the previous night she couldn't help but respond to him. She smiled. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

Ryan moved to stand up picking her up in his arms as he did so. "Why don't you come back to bed and show me again."

Marissa linked her arms around his neck only too happy to comply with his wishes.

---

The two exhausted bodies lay entwined in one another on the bed when the phone rang and disturbed them from their peaceful slumber. Marissa tried to get her body to move but it was so cocooned by Ryan that she couldn't do it.

"Ry. I need to move."

"No. Stay where you are. Leave it … they'll go away." He said as he tried to pull her closer to him.

She laughed as she pulled away again. "I can't. I have to get it. It might be important." Marissa slowly extricated herself and lent over and picked up the phone on the bedside table.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Marissa? It's Sandy."

"Sandy. Hi." She replied.

"I'm sorry if I woke you. I just thought I should let you know that we are going to take the Nana to brunch and I wondered if you wanted to join us?" Sandy asked.

Marissa looked over at Ryan who had proceeded to turn over and pretend that he had gone straight back to sleep again.

"Um. If it's okay with you Sandy we might give it a miss." Marissa smiled as thoughts of the night they had just shared flooded her memory and the words just came to her. "Ryan was up most of the night so we didn't get much sleep."

Upon hearing her words Ryan rolled over and smiled at her and mouthed "And I intend to be 'up' again."

Marissa smiled thinking to herself that she had done really well. She hadn't lied and yet hopefully Sandy wouldn't know just what she was referring to and hence wouldn't think too badly of them.

"I hope it wasn't something he ate at dinner? I gather that Seth must have had a similar night from what Summer was saying when I spoke to her. Perhaps some of the food was off?"

Marissa nearly burst out laughing realising that she and Summer were obviously on the same wavelength. "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure that Ryan will be fine with a little more rest." Marissa assured him.

"Okay ... Um … Well I guess …" Sandy stuttered.

"Sandy, Is there something else? Or did you really want us to come with you?" Marissa asked sensing that Sandy had something else on his mind.

"No you don't need to come it's just …. well I guess …"

"Sandy what is it?" Marissa pushed, now concerned about what could possibly be causing Sandy to behave so strangely. He was usually so straight forward about everything.

"I was just wondering if you two had seen the newspaper this morning?" he asked.

"No. Why?" Marissa asked starting to get worried all of a sudden.

"Let's just say, I think you should have a look at it before you go out today. What were you planning on doing?" Sandy asked.

"We hadn't really talked about it. But I guess I wouldn't mind going to the beach for a while. We didn't get a chance yesterday with the whole proposal and everything. Why?" Marissa couldn't think why it would matter what they did.

"Well. You might want to take someone else with you if you intend leaving the hotel. That's all." Sandy added.

"I don't understand." Marissa commented.

"Have a look at the paper and you will. We'll be back in a few hours. I'll talk to you then. Hopefully Ryan will be feeling a little better and maybe we can all get together." Sandy suggested. "We need to leave for the airport at 4. So I'll talk to you before then."

"Okay Sandy I'll talk to you soon." Marissa replaced the phone wondering just what was in the paper. She decided the only way to find out was to go and collect it. Knowing that there would be one outside their door, she went to get out of the bed only to have Ryan's arm come around her and pull her back in to the bed.

"I thought you were asleep." She said.

"I want to be. But I need you beside me or I can't sleep. So come back to bed with me?" Ryan asked sounding like a little boy wanting his favourite teddy.

"I can't. I have to go and get the paper. I gather there's something important in it." Marissa replied.

"You're the only thing that's important to me and your right here where I want you." He said pulling her closer still and then rolling over to pin her to the bed under him. He lent down and kissed her thoroughly, savouring each and every taste. He pulled back and smiled. "Good morning." He said grinning from ear to ear.

Marissa returned the kiss and couldn't help but smile. "Is it?"

"How can you even ask? The sun's shining. We don't have to go to work. You're naked with a hot man between your legs. What more could you want?" Ryan asked as he lent back in for another kiss just as Marissa's stomach gave an audible gurgle.

She laughed. "Um … food?"

"So woman cannot live on love alone hey? No matter what the stories say." Ryan asked.

"Not this one anyhow. And you have to admit that we have used up quite a bit of energy in the last 12 hours." Marissa suggested.

"True. But you don't want to go out for breakfast do you? I could just order some from room service and we could stay and eat here." Ryan suggested.

"Sounds good to me. But I still want to see what's in the paper. Sandy was very intent on the fact that we needed to have a look at it." Marissa said as she got out of the bed and grabbed one of the complimentary gowns from the wardrobe to throw on while she retrieved the paper. "I'll go and get the paper while you order us some food."

While she was gone Ryan called room service and ordered some breakfast for the two of them and then wondered why Marissa hadn't returned to the bedroom. She seemed to be taking an awfully long time.

"Ris? Where are you?" he called out into the lounge room of their suite.

Marissa slowly walked back in to the room and stopped at the end of the bed, a frown on her beautiful face. "I think we may have problems."


	65. Caught Out!

_Thanks for the reviews. It seems that we have a couple of more new readers joining in - so welcome. Hopefully you will all continue to read along. Enjoy!_

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**Caught Out !**

Marissa handed Ryan the newspaper and there on the front page was a large photo of them dancing together with the headline "IT LOOKS A LOT LIKE LOVE!". Ryan looked to the story below and read further.

_America's obsession with the rich, famous and beautiful has been in overdrive since it was recently reported that Ryan Atwood and Marissa Cooper had been seen spending time together. Atwood, the millionaire founder and owner of Atwood Industries and commonly acknowledged as one of America's hottest bachelors and Ms Cooper, supermodel and actor were seen dancing the night away in Miami last night and they seemed to be very friendly if the looks that they were exchanging are anything to go by. An unidentified source revealed that they have been sharing a suite on the top floor of the Marriott hotel. It is believed that the pair was once high school sweethearts and that they have recently become reacquainted. Both have had low profiles as far as their love lives have been concerned, but look to be taking less and less care about their privacy as they get closer and closer. Of course it remains to be seen whether Ms Cooper will return to her European base when her film contract is finished? It is believed that she has several contracts with European Fashion Houses in place. The question is whether this is just a fling for both of them or something more? And if so, how will they manage to keep things alive between them when they both have commitments in different parts of the world? But if nothing else all this reporter can say is Aawww aren't they cute?"_

Ryan put the paper back down and looked up at Marissa. "Well … at least they think we're cute." He shrugged his shoulders.

Marissa smiled. "I guess. But you know that this is going to make things … " she searched for the right word. "… difficult." She finished.

Ryan reached for her and pulled her to him. "Whatever happens, we will deal with it. Sure we may have preferred to have kept it to ourselves a little longer, but it was bound to happen sometime. It's just a little earlier than expected."

"So you don't mind?" Marissa asked.

"Doesn't matter if I do or don't. It's happened. We'll deal with it. Together." Ryan said. "If we can deal with your mother, a few pesky reporters should be a breeze."

As he pulled her back on to the bed with him, he didn't notice the shadow that passed over Marissa's face at the mention of her mother. That was the second time in 24 hours that her mother had been mentioned and Marissa didn't want to think about her at all. Ryan moved to untie the belt on her gown and then pushed it from her shoulders leaving her naked body to the mercy of his exploring hands. Marissa quickly forgot about anything but him as they began to lose themselves in one another again. They were savouring each other, building up to the inevitable out come when the door bell door sounded.

Ryan pulled back. "Shoot. That will be your breakfast."

"My breakfast?" Marissa asked.

"Well you were the one that was hungry for food. I'm only hungry for you." Ryan said as he pulled her towards him again, kissing her thoroughly to leave her in no doubt about the truth of what he said. "But I think you're going to have to go and answer the door. I think if I went, my current state of arousal would probably end up making the front page tomorrow as well."

Marissa smiled and pulled the robe back on to go and answer the door. "Good excuse." She threw back at him over her shoulder as she exited the room.

---

After all the food was placed on the dining table and the waiter had left, Marissa came to stand by the door of the bedroom. "Exactly what did you order? There's enough food here to feed an army."

"I wasn't sure what you wanted so I just got one of everything." He smiled at her.

"Well … are you coming to eat?" Marissa asked.

"Uh uh" he replied. "But when you're done, maybe you could come back and join me in bed." He suggested, leaving her in no doubt as to where his appetite lay.

Marissa smiled as she moved back to the dining table to get something to eat. She was surprised that Ryan was still looking for more. But when she thought about, it was a pleasant surprise. As she looked over the food an idea came to mind.

A minute or so passed and Marissa called out "I have a better idea. How do you feel about breakfast in bed?" she asked.

"But I just said I don't feel like eating breakfast." Ryan said.

"I didn't say YOU had to." Marissa said as she appeared back at the bedroom door. She had a waffle in one hand and a small jug of syrup in the other and she moved to stand over Ryan as he lay on his back. "I won't bother you, I just thought I could make use of you. Just lie back and don't move." She said as she pulled the sheet back and then poured some of the golden syrup into the indentation of his belly button.

Ryan smiled. "Are you right there?" he asked as she proceeded to break off a piece of the waffle and dip it in the syrup and then place it in her mouth.

Using her tongue to roll around her lips as she savoured the taste she said "Mmm ... Warm syrup my favourite. You have to try this. It's delicious." She said as she broke off some more waffle, dipped it and then placed it in his mouth.

Ryan smiled. "You're right. Maybe I am hungry after all." He said as she continued to feed herself and then him, in turn.

When the waffle was finished, there was still some syrup left and Ryan couldn't move otherwise the sticky golden liquid would have run all over their bed. "Could you get me something to clean this up with?" he asked.

"I think I can do better than that." Marissa replied as she slowly removed the gown from her shoulders yet again. She moved to kneel down at the side of the bed and then used her finger to swirl in the syrup and then painted his chest with it. She moved over him and with one last glance and grin in his direction, she bent her head and used her tongue to slowly lick him clean.

Ryan watched as her naked body moved over his. Her tongue exciting him with every lick, every stroke. He reached to pull her on top of him.

"No. You have to stay still until I've finished here and cleaned you up." She whispered huskily to him.

Ryan smiled. This was not much better than when he was restrained by the scarves. He still couldn't move. He was watching as she got the syrup jug again and refilled the indentation and then used her fingers to 'paint' his lower regions, feeling his breath catch in his throat as she neared his, by now, throbbing hardness. He felt her using her sticky finger to paint his manhood with syrup knowing exactly what was going to happen next. His eyes closed as he held his breathe waiting to feel her mouth upon him.

Marissa glanced at his face. Noticing the closed eyes and the ragged breath. She loved that she could do this to him. Make him feel like this. She moved to slowly and purposefully lick the syrup away and as she felt him start to squirm on the bed she took him in her mouth, the syrup totally forgotten.

---

After "breakfast" round 1, Ryan decided he was hungry after all and decided that Marissa could return the favour and be his serving platter for some strawberries and cream. When he had finished, they both had a long and leisurely shower together, taking it in turn to wash their 'serving platters' thoroughly until both were 'squeaky clean' and they laughed as they planned their day … or at least what was left of it.

"You really want to go to the beach?" Ryan asked. "We could just stay here, in bed?" he said as he dropped the damp towel on the floor and sat back down on the bed. "I'm sure I could find a way to amuse you."

"Uh uh" Marissa replied shaking her head. "I can't say I spent the whole weekend in Miami and didn't even touch the sand. Come on lazy bones. Maybe after a quick swim and some sun, we could come back to the room for a 'rest'." She suggested.

"I like the sound of that." Ryan said as he lay back with his hands behind his head watching as a naked Marissa searched through her case for her bikini.

When she found it, she pulled on the tiny black bottoms and turned to Ryan. "Are you going like that?" she asked as she was attempting to tie her top while keeping the small black triangles in position.

He smiled, looking down at his nakedness. "Do you think anyone would notice?"

Marissa laughed, then shrugged her shoulders and said. "True. There's not much too notice." She teased.

Ryan instantly jumped off the bed and in one motion, picked her up, placed her on the bed and started to tickle her. "Not much to notice hey? I didn't hear you complaining last night, or this morning. Actually the only thing I did hear was you moaning and crying out my name."

Marissa was rolling around the bed trying to get away from his hands and the top of her bikini came totally adrift. Ryan noticed and stopped the tickling as he moved to take her nipple in his mouth. Marissa sighed as she felt her need for him build yet again. "Ry? If you keep doing that … "

He pulled back and looked deeply into her now smouldering eyes. "Doing what?" he asked innocently.

Marissa used the opportunity to get back off the bed. "Later. Right now we ARE going to the beach. Even if it's just for a few minutes. I can't tell Sandy that we have been in bed all day." She said as she fastened the top of her bikini over her breasts again.

"No. True. It might make him jealous." Ryan replied but this time he got off the bed and pulled on a pair of board shorts resigned to the fact that she was going to persist and realising that the sooner they got to the beach, the sooner they could return … to bed.

Marissa pulled on a beach shirt and threw her sunnies, some sunscreen and a couple of towels in her large tote bag. She looked at Ryan now waiting by the door. "Aren't you wearing a shirt?" she asked.

"I figured, I'd just take it off as soon as I got there, so why bother. We are at the beach." He added stating the obvious.

Marissa picked up the wife beater from the floor and threw it at him. "Put this on at least. I don't want the females in the lobby swooning at the sight of you."

Ryan laughed but did as he was told. "There's only one female that I want swooning and she's right here. And anyhow, how about what you're wearing. You can't tell me that outfit wasn't designed to give all men a hard-on as soon as they saw you in it? Why bother wearing a shirt if you can see through it?"

"It's supposed to add mystery and allure." Marissa answered looking down at the flimsy cover up she was wearing and realising that he was right – it didn't cover up much at all. "But, I'm only interested in one man's reaction." She assured him.

"Well let me assure you. If we don't get out of here in a hurry, you'll get exactly the reaction you were hoping for."

---

As the lift doors opened, Ryan took Marissa's hand in his and proceeded to walk through the foyer. They hadn't even made it half way to the outside doors when the first reporter appeared beside them shoving a voice recorder in Ryan's face. Ryan just ignored him, pulled Marissa closer and kept walking. But, as soon as they exited the building, they were immediately surrounded by waiting photographers and reporters, all eager to get the first words from the new 'couple'. Microphones were being thrust in their faces and no matter which way they turned, more seemed to arrive. The hotel security were trying to maintain some order but there were too many people for them to control. It was obvious that they wouldn't be having any peaceful lie in the sun today, or maybe ever again.

Ryan turned to Marissa. "What do you want to do?"

Marissa was panic stricken. She'd never been in anything like this before. "Let's just go back to the room. I don't want to be part of this circus."

Ryan quickly turned. He put his arm around Marissa and pulled her towards him, to protect her from the crowd that had formed and as quickly as possible they made their way back inside. The hotel security managed to make a path for them to follow and then bundled Ryan and Marissa into the first available lift.

The burly helpers kept the reporters at bay and as the doors closed on the two occupants, Ryan turned to Marissa. "You okay?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. I guess. I just didn't expect anything quite like that."

"Yeah. I know what you mean." Ryan replied as they arrived at their floor.

Ryan unlocked the door and held it open for Marissa to enter their suite, and as she did, the phone began to ring. Marissa walked over and answered it.

"Coop? Finally. What took you so long to answer … or shouldn't I ask? Nudge nudge wink wink." Summer asked.

Marissa was still a little shaken up by the experience from down stairs but she couldn't help but be amused by her friend. "Nothing like that. We were …" she hesitated wondering how she would explain what had happened and decided not to try "… downstairs and we were just coming back into the room."

"And I thought it might be something much more exciting." Summer replied assuming that they must have gone out for breakfast. "But I was wondering if I could talk you into going out shopping with me today? I thought we might go and start looking at wedding dresses. I want to make the right decision, so I'm going to have to have a really good look around. You know – leave no stone unturned in my search. I figure, I may as well see what the Miami brides are wearing. Not that I think I'll get anything here but it can't hurt to look. They may have some ideas. And Cohen still hasn't recovered from last night anyhow. And let me just add" she dropped her tone to a whisper "Six is possible … only just … but possible. Although I think that Cohen is going to be in recovery mode for quite a while and I think that I might be walking a bit funny." Summer added.

Marissa listened to her friend chatter and moved to sit down on the lounge. She had so many conflicting emotions going through her she almost felt nauseous. She hesitated and then said "Summ, I'm really happy about the six … I knew you could do it. But about the shopping would you mind if I took a rain check? … I'm not feeling so great myself and I'd rather just take it easy … if you don't mind?" Marissa replied.

Summer was surprised. "Um … well … okay … I just thought … you know … that …" she started.

"I promise that we'll go next weekend. Okay?" Marissa asked.

"Yeah. Sure …" Summer replied still taken aback by Marissa response. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. I will be." Marissa replied.


	66. Marissa's Issues

_Thanks for the reviews. It does seem that you are all getting in to the swing of this. There's plenty more to go yet, so I hope you're not getting tired of it just yet. Enjoy!_

**Marissa's Issues**

Marissa sat staring out of the windows at the magnificent ocean view in front of her. She tried to stop her mind from darting in several directions at once and just concentrate on the calming view of the beautiful blue water.

Ryan moved over and sat beside her. Putting his arm around her, he pulled her towards him. "Are you not feeling well?" he asked wondering just what had happened to the happy go lucky person that he'd left the room with only minutes before.

Marissa took a moment to react, so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn't quite realised that he had spoken. "Sorry?"

"You told Summer on the phone that you weren't feeling well." Ryan added.

Marissa just shrugged. "I'll be fine. I just didn't want to go shopping right now."

Ryan held her and waited for her to say more but there was nothing but silence. "You do know that I don't buy it. There's more to this than the shopping. How about you just talk to me? Remember that was the deal." He pushed, trying to get her to open up. He was worried that she was like this because of their run in downstairs and unfortunately he knew that now that the cat was out of the bag – the chance of it improving in the near future was practically zero. If anything he imagined that they may have an even bigger audience waiting for them when they got off the plane back in LA. He made a mental note to call ahead and organise a few guards to meet them and get them out of the airport as quickly as possible. Ryan tried again to get her to open up. "Come on – you love shopping. Were you just worried about the media circus tagging along because I'm sure we could sneak you out. As long as we're not together, it shouldn't be too bad?" he asked.

"I just wasn't in the mood for wedding dress shopping." Marissa replied somewhat tersely.

Ryan watched the expressions move across her face and started to put two and two together. "Ah huh … What about if it had been your wedding dress?" he asked.

Marissa turned in his arms to look deeply at him. She could feel her eyes start to well up. "I'm a horrible friend. I should be so happy for Summer and I am but it's just that after what went on downstairs …." She started.

Ryan nodded, he knew exactly where she was going with this. "You know that we're going to have to wait a while longer." Ryan finished. The truth was that he had been thinking the same thing.

Marissa nodded. "I mean if they are like that just because we danced together, imagine what it will be like when we announce we're engaged? … Summer wants this big wedding where she is the centre of attention. If we announce our engagement … then we would just ruin it." Marissa added.

Ryan wanted to disagree with her and tell her that he thought everything would be fine but he couldn't. "Unfortunately, I have to agree." He tried to think of someway that he could make her feel better. "But look at this." He held her hand up, moving the promise ring around with his fingers. "We don't have to be in any hurry. As far as I'm concerned we're married already."

Marissa smiled sadly through her tears. "What because we spend so much time in bed together?"

"No." Ryan thought for a moment. "Actually … thinking about it, maybe I don't want to get married, if all those old stories about the girl only giving it up to get the guy hooked and then the supply drying up as soon as they get the ring on their finger are true." Ryan teased.

Marissa playfully hit him. "Well I already have a ring on my finger and I don't think you've had any problems with supply?" She suggested.

"True." He answered. "… What I had really been about to say was that, as far as I'm concerned …" he looked back into her deep blue eyes wanting to make sure that she understood the sincerity of his words "We are already fully committed romantically, physically, emotionally. There is nothing that a piece of paper could do that will make any difference to the way I feel about you."

Marissa started to feel the tears well in her eyes yet again. She felt like she was some sort of emotional wreck. She may have been confused about a lot of things right now, but one thing she did know was that the she loved him to the point that she ached for him. How had she managed to get so lucky? She moved to hug him and hold him closer still; hoping that somehow he would be able to feel her love as it emanated through her.

Ryan returned the embrace holding her tightly to him. After a few minutes he pulled back slightly and looked her in the eyes again. "So are we good now or was there something more?" he asked. He just felt that she was still holding back.

Marissa hesitated. She didn't know if she was ready to deal with the rest of it just yet. "I just …" Marissa shrugged.

"What?" Ryan asked knowing that he needed to get to the bottom of all this while she was actually talking. He couldn't help but see the oddness of the situation. When they were at high school it was always him that kept things to himself, now it was Marissa that seemed to have trouble opening up.

Marissa pointed to the newspaper. "They just mentioned a few things there that have been worrying me and I have no idea what the answers are to them."

"About what happens when the movie is finished?" Ryan asked, knowing that the words had almost jumped off the paper at him when he had read them. He knew that they had both been avoiding dealing with it.

Marissa nodded.

"What do you think?" Ryan asked.

"I can't think anymore. My brain hurts from trying to work it out." Marissa replied giving him a small smile.

"Okay. Well the way I see it, and feel free to stop me if I've got it wrong, because I certainly don't imagine that I have all the answers." He assured her.

Marissa nodded wanting him to continue.

"Well, I guess first things first." All of a sudden, Ryan was the one that wasn't feeling so good. He knew they needed to have this talk but there were so many factors and so many possible outcomes that he wasn't sure if he was ready for it. He took a deep breathe and forged on.

"Since you've agreed to marry me, I was sort of hoping that you may be prepared to relocate to LA?" he looked at her hopefully.

Marissa hesitated and stared back at him, regret in her eyes. "That will be fine in the long run. But I have contracts that I have to fulfil, and they're all in Europe."

"Okay. So how many and for how long?" Ryan asked.

"I'm not really sure. Kate, that's my new manager, would have all the details. She keeps my diary and just tells me when and where I'm supposed to be. I just got her to put everything on hold while I did the movie but that just means that it will be all backed up and I'll have to spend a lot of time making up for the period I have had off."

Ryan rubbed his free hand over his brow trying to think clearly about what was the best way to attack things. "Well then. Firstly, I guess we need to talk to Kate and get a copy of all of these contracts. Maybe we can get you out of some of them. And those that we can't then I guess you'll just have to finish by commuting back and forth when you can. Once we work out when they are, I'll try and rearrange my work so that I can come with you whenever I can."

"You'd do that for me?" Marissa asked.

Ryan nodded. "Of course. Although I think you are giving me more credit than you should. Maybe I'm doing it more for me. You know I can't sleep without you beside me any more." He smiled hoping that he would get a smile back in return.

He was rewarded with a minute one which was instantly followed by a frown. "But what am I going to do when I do move back? I mean I still need to work?"

"No you don't." Ryan replied. "We will never need money. I have enough investments now that we could both stop work and we'd still be comfortable for the rest of our lives."

"Ryan. I can't take your money." Marissa insisted.

"It's not my money. It's our money. You can have it all, just as long as you spend the rest of your life with me." Ryan explained.

"I don't want to marry you for your money." Marissa assured him starting to get angry.

"I didn't mean that. I just mean that there is no reason for money to be a concern for us. You don't have to work." Ryan tried to reassure her.

"Yes I do Ryan. I thought you of all people would understand." Marissa cried out and ran in to the bedroom, throwing herself on the bed and burying her head in her hands.

Ryan was stunned. He tried to think back over what he had said and still couldn't see what he'd done wrong. He stood and followed her and sat on the side of the bed stroking her back as she sobbed in to the pillow. "Ris. Talk to me. Make me understand what's troubling you … please. I don't understand why you feel like this but I'm never going to … unless you talk to me."

Marissa's sobs started to abate as she heard the concern and care in his voice. She turned to look at him, trying to speak between the sniffles that were escaping from her. "I … will not … turn … into my mother."

Ryan was momentarily shocked. "What?"

"You sounded like you expected me to be just like my mother. A useless token female who only needed a rich man, any rich man … she wasn't fussy … to take care of her. You know what she was like. She had no money of her own so she was prepared to become nothing more than a high class whore just to ensure she had all the beautiful things in life and then when she was left with nothing, she was happy to use her only daughter to live off. I suppose I should thank her for the genes that made me attractive enough that I could actually make it as a model; otherwise she would have probably been my pimp. I wouldn't put anything past her after what she did to us to ensure her income stream remained intact. But modelling is not what I would have chosen for myself. I wanted to go to college; wanted to do something with my life; wanted to be with you and she destroyed that because she needed me for a meal ticket. Don't you understand … I need my own money to be independent? I refuse to ever be anything like her."

Ryan sat on the edge of the bed stunned. He hadn't realised just how strongly Marissa felt about all this. No wonder she had complained about her brain hurting from thinking about it all. His was starting to hurt now too.

He thought for a moment trying to find the right words to reassure her. "You will never be anything like that. We both know that." Ryan replied. "So let's go back to what we do know. You are happy to move to LA if we can find you something to do? And I don't mean just looking after me. I mean a paying job so you'll have your own money." He looked at her waiting for the reaction.

Marissa nodded.

"Well … I said I didn't want to tell you this and that he should tell you himself … but given the state you're in, it may help to know that J.B. told me the studio is interested in working with you again … if the right project comes up." Ryan said hoping that she would see this as an option.

Marissa shrugged but tried to smile.

"Okay, so I know it's not what you want to do long term. But at least it is something. And maybe you could do some modelling in LA? I know it's not Europe or even New York but it's not exactly a fashion backwater. Surely if you cut back on the catwalk stuff and did more magazine layouts, then the photo shoots could take place anywhere?" Ryan suggested.

Marissa could see how hard he was trying to find a solution for her … NO … for them. She couldn't help but start to smile.

Ryan noticed as the corners of her mouth started to move in the direction of a small smile. "What did I say something right for a change?"

"No. Well not no, but maybe. I don't exactly know what I'm going to do but I guess I just realised that I'm not doing this alone. If you're prepared to work this out with me then I know we'll find a solution. Somehow. Somewhere." She shrugged.

"That's my girl." He bent to give her a short, sweet kiss. "I'm not suggesting we have all the answers, but we will work them out together."


	67. The Offer

_Sorry this took a while. There seemed to be something wrong with the site and I couldn't log in to post it. Anyhow here it is now._

****

**The Offer**

Ryan opened the door to the crowded restaurant and stood to one side to allow Marissa to enter. Once the door had closed behind them, and kept all the paparazzi outside he started to relax a little. He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her towards the maitre d.

"Mr Atwood, Ms Cooper." The attractive Italian greeted them by name. "Mr and Mrs Connell are already here. If you'd like to follow me, I'll take you straight through to join them."

"Thank you Donato." Ryan replied. "I'm sorry about all that commotion out the front." Ryan apologised.

"Don't worry about it. We're used to it. But be assured we will do our best to assure that you are not bothered tonight. I hope you have a pleasant evening with us. Let me know if there is anything that I can do to help in any way."

"Thank you. I'm sure we'll be fine." Ryan replied as they neared the table.

J.B stood to greet them. "Marissa, Ryan. Lovely to see you. Ryan you know my wife Judy, but Marissa I don't think you've met before. Marissa Cooper, my wife of 29 years, Judy." He said proudly.

Marissa nodded. "Judy. I'm pleased to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine, I assure you. I've heard a lot about you, so I've been looking forward to the opportunity of finally meeting you in person. Anyone, who has finally managed to snag this young man …" she nodded at Ryan "… must be pretty special, so I knew that I would like you already."

Ryan blushed slightly at Judy's words. "J.A. You know that it's only taken me so long because I've been having trouble finding someone that could even compare to you." he said laying it on thick.

They all laughed.

"J.A.?" Marissa queried.

"Judith Anne." Judy replied. "whenever J.B. gets a bit bossy and tries to throw his weight around, I just use it to remind him that J.A comes before J.B so I put him in his place. He may be the boss at work but at home it's a 50/50 situation." She moved closer to Marisa and added. "Actually 51/49 to me but I let him think otherwise."

J.B. laughed along with her. "More like 70/30 to you. Or so it seems most of the time."

"I see.' Marissa commented. She knew at once that she was going to like this lady. It seemed that she was strong but loving. She hoped to be like that herself in years to come.

They all ordered a pre-dinner drink from the waiter and indulged in some polite chit chat until they had placed their food order and the waiter had left. J.B. looked over at Marissa and said "Marissa you've probably realised by now that, much as I was hoping that this dinner would in some way atone for the horrible behaviour you had to endure from that insufferable Jake Hammond, I guess you have also realised that there is something else that I wanted to talk with you about. I'd like to come straight to the point, then we can get it out of the way and just enjoy our dinner and the pleasant company we find ourselves with."

Marissa was a little surprised but replied. "Certainly. What can I do for you?"

"Well that's easy. Tell me you've loved acting and want to make it your full-time career." J.B answered.

Marissa was taken aback. "I'm sorry?"

"J.B. don't tease the poor girl." Judy said. "Explain what you are actually asking her to do?"

J.B. took a deep breathe. "Well, I had hoped that Ryan here might do my job for me and convince you to give modelling away, but he assures me that you make all your own decisions." He looked sideways at Ryan and added "but I'm sure he must be able to influence you at least a little."

Judy piped in. "He could influence me a lot, whenever he felt like it."

J.B. laughed. "It's a good thing that I know you're only teasing me." he added.

"Who said?" Judy asked smiling from ear to ear.

"It's best just to ignore her when she's like this. What I was trying to say was … I know the movie is almost finished filming. They'll need you around for a few more weeks until the editing is completed in case they need to redo any scenes but I was wondering what your plans were after that? We'd be very interested in working with you again if we could find the right script. But of course I don't know how you are placed work wise. Are you available? Or are you even interested?" he asked.

"Um." Marissa hesitated. She really wasn't ready to make any decisions just yet. "I wouldn't say that I'm not interested. Does that make sense? But I have a few modelling contracts in place that I have to honour and they are mostly in Europe. So until I finish with those, I'm not really available."

J.B. looked at her and then at Ryan and then back at Marissa. He had imagined that they would look to make things permanent and hence that Marissa would be moving to LA. They seemed perfect together. "But I thought that the two of you …" he stopped suddenly realising that if he had misread the situation then saying anything out loud would only make things worse.

Judy realised the situation and instantly butted in to save her husband. "were very nice to accommodate our changing the plans at the last minute."

Ryan answered quickly not wanting Marissa to be under anymore pressure. "It was no problem at all. In fact today suits us better. We like to go down to Newport on the weekends, whenever we can, but since you had originally planned dinner for tomorrow evening we were going to miss out this weekend. Now we can still go. We'll just go down in the morning."

"Well, if J.B. actually thought ahead at all he would have realised that we couldn't have dinner with you tomorrow night." Judy assured them. "It's our granddaughter's birthday on Sunday and we're flying to Denver tomorrow so that we can be there for the celebrations." She informed them.

"How old will she be?" Marissa asked happy to have something else to talk about.

"A big four." Judy replied fishing her wallet out of her handbag to show Marissa a photo of a blonde curly haired little girl.

"She looks adorable." Marissa stated and then glanced over at Ryan and passed him the photo to look at as well.

Judy watched the glances moving between their two guests. "She is." She smiled to herself. "I don't mind telling you just how proud I am of our daughter. Some people are born to have children and she's one of them. She also has a little boy who's two and she's just found out that she's pregnant again. It's amazing really. Our daughter was quite the career woman until she met her husband but now she is the happiest I have ever seen her. Her family are the most important thing in her life. I'm sure that it is not for everyone but certainly she loves it."

Ryan looked over at Marissa a silent entreaty in his eyes that didn't go unnoticed by the older two. Marissa knew exactly what he was thinking but she also knew she wasn't ready to be a mom just yet.

Judy could see what was going on and she wasn't sure whether to comment or not. "Do you want to have children?" she asked Marissa.

Marissa was startled by the very personal question. "Um …" she glanced across at Ryan feeling the intense scrutiny she was under. "Someday. But not just yet."

J.B. laughed. "Just practising?" He said as he watched the blushes rise on both Ryan and Marissa.

"J.B. behave yourself." Judy said. "I do apologise. I should never have asked you that." She said mostly to Marissa. "Put it down to excited grandmother syndrome. But I must admit if you two ever do decide to go down that path, I would just love to see your babies. I'm sure they would be something special."

Ryan reached across and took Marissa's hand under the table. Their eyes held for a moment. "Well be assured, if it ever happens, we'll let you know." He replied, hoping to put an end to the discussion that he knew was making Marissa uncomfortable.

Fortunately, the waiter arrived with their starters and Ryan could move the conversation onto less personal topics. He knew that Marissa would be pleased when the dinner was through and they could escape.

---

Saturday, after a leisurely sleep in (that didn't actually involve very much sleep but a lot of time in bed); Ryan and Marissa made their way down to the house at Newport. It was mid afternoon by the time they arrived.

As they went through the security gates Marissa couldn't contain herself. "I can't wait to get there." Marissa said sounding like a little girl she was so excited. "I know we've only missed out on one weekend down here but it seems like forever since we've been here."

Ryan couldn't help but smile as he looked over at her beaming face. "It is only a house you know?"

"I know. But" she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know why I love it here so much. Maybe it's because it's where we got back together" she glanced over at him recalling the first night that he brought her here. "Or maybe because it's just you and me. I just love it. It's like the rest of the world doesn't exist."

"Mmm. I like the sound of that." Ryan replied. He still hadn't told her that when he had designed the house, it had been for her, or actually … for them. But the pleasure he got from knowing that she loved it as much as he did, was better than he could have ever imagined.

He pulled into the garage and unloaded the small overnight bags from the trunk. He felt the weight of hers. "I hope that this is all toiletries. I do rather like the thought of you having no clothes down here." He said smiling at her.

"Very funny. You're out of luck. Even though there aren't very many clothes in there, I did leave some here last time I came. Just in case."

"Pity. Maybe I should change the rules of the house from 'Clothing Optional' to 'Clothing Prohibited'". He suggested.

Marissa looked at his cheeky grin. "As long as it applies to you as well, I could probably go along with that."

Ryan was surprised by her reaction but delightedly so. "Is that right? Maybe I should turn up the heat right now." He suggested. "We wouldn't want you catching a chill." He added.

"You either." She agreed.

Ryan deposited their bags at the foot of the stairs and then adjusted the thermostat. "It'll take a little while to warm up. How do you feel about a walk on the beach while we wait?"

"Sounds good." Marissa replied.

"You should probably take a jacket. The breeze off the water is starting to get a little chilly these days." Ryan said.

Marissa pulled a Sass & Bide denim jacket out of her bag and put it on. "Okay set to go." She made her way to the door and then, knowing that he would need to lock up and arm the security system again and that she could get a head start she decided to challenge him. "I'll race you to the lifeguard stand." And she was gone before he could even reply.

---

Ryan caught up with Marissa at the bottom of the ramp, picked her up and threw her over his shoulder and carried her the rest of the way up.

"Ryan, put me down" she cried as she tried to catch her breath.

He started to ease his hold on her and she slid slowly down his front, each movement leaving a path that was electrically charged and deposited her gently on her feet. Her breathing was now more laboured than when she had finished running and it was more to do with the feelings that this man evoked in her than the race they had from the house. She couldn't take her eyes from his, as her yearning was reflected in his. She could feel her breath becoming more and more laboured as the expectation of his mouth joining hers became too much for her and she crashed her lips into his. His tongue entered her mouth as hers came to meet his. They entwined them as they pressed their bodies even closer together. After several minutes of heavy and passionate kissing Marissa pulled back a little, suddenly realising that were out in public and she checked up and down the deserted beach to make sure they were alone. She smiled at him. "Have I told you how much I love gated communities? Not a reporter in sight. If only life could always be like this." She sighed.

"I know it's been difficult this week. But hopefully they'll soon find something new to keep them entertained. Maybe a new Bradgelina baby? Then they'll be much too busy to bother with us."

"Yeah. But maybe they should have it in LA next time instead of Namibia. Then they could take all the heat off us. The paparazzi around here would be too busy with them."

Ryan smiled. "Do you want to sit for a while and catch your breath?" He asked.

"I'm not sure. Sometimes sitting with you makes my breathing speed up." She smiled teasing him.

"Mmmm. I like the sound of that. But maybe we should wait till we get back to the house before we go down that path again."

"Yeah. You're probably right. There may not be any reporters around but I'm sure the neighbours would notice if we took things any further."

Ryan moved to sit with his back against the wall and Marissa sat between his legs looking out at the sea as the wave motion calmed her with its constant ebb and flow.

She sighed deeply.

Ryan glanced down at her; watching as her shoulders moved up and down; thinking now was as good a time as any. "So we didn't really talk about what went on last night."

Marissa shrugged. "What's there to talk about?"


	68. Plans

**Plans**

"Well besides J.B.'s offer of work, wasn't Kate supposed to be getting back to you yesterday with a list of your commitments."

Marissa nodded. "Yeah. She sent a fax through."

"And?" Ryan asked.

Marissa shrugged again. "Do we have to do this right now? I just want to enjoy being here with you. I don't want to think about it."

"Ris. I enjoy being here with you just as much as you do." He stroked his hand gently up and down her arm finally entwining his fingers in hers. "You know that. And I want to do this as often as possible. But don't you see that's why we need to try to sort this out. It's not going to happen on its own. I want to spend as much time with you as I can. If you need to spend time in Europe, then the sooner we get it nailed down the sooner I can try and plan my commitments so that I can try to be there with you whenever possible."

Marissa knew what he was saying was right. She took a deep breath. "I know you're right. I guess it's just; I'm enjoying life here with you so much that I don't want to think about having to go back to my old one. Cause it's not looking great. The runway jobs for Fashion Week are locked in. There's no way I can move them."

"What about the other jobs?" Ryan asked.

"She doesn't think I have much hope of changing them but I have asked her to send me copies of the contracts. I thought I might ask Sandy to have a look. See what he thinks."

"Good idea. I'm sure he'll be happy to help."

"There are a couple of photo shoots that she is looking into moving maybe to New York if she can. She hopes to have some answers back early next week. In the meantime, I'll just have to wait and see."

"We'll have to wait." He corrected her. Just to reassure her that he was as vitally involved in all this as she was. Much as Ryan wanted her to make all her own plans, he also wanted her to know that he would fit in with her whenever he could. "If you give me the dates of Fashion Week then I'll make sure that I can be with you."

Marissa smiled thinking about Ryan and Fashion Week. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea."

"What? You don't want me around?" He asked.

"Oh no. It's not that. I'd love to have you around. That's the problem. So would a lot of other people I imagine."

Ryan frowned. "Sorry, I don't understand?"

She realised that he had no idea about what she did or what it involved. "Well. It's just that … surprisingly enough, the majority, not all, but most, of the guys associated with the fashion industry are gay and most of the girls are straight. So taking someone like you along …" she smiled "Well it's like lambs to the slaughter. The girls are going to be after you. And given half a chance, so will the guys." She laughed imagining the effect Ryan would have on some of her friends. Male and female. "There's no doubt that you will be Mr. Popular. Actually I could probably get you some modelling work while we're over there if you want to keep yourself amused?"

"Thanks very much but no, I'd rather keep myself amused with you." He smiled.

"I'll do my best. But I do have a few friends that I want you to meet." She added and then gave a little shiver.

"I'll look forward to it. But come on, I can see you're starting to get cold. Let's go back to the house and see if you can practise amusing me?" he suggested.

Marissa took his hand and they made their way back along the beach. It was getting late in the afternoon and the sun was low in the sky.

"How about we open a bottle of wine and sit beside the pool and watch the sunset?" she asked.

Ryan looked at her and smiled. "Is watching the sunset anything like watching the sunrise? I know I like them." He replied thinking about their early morning in Miami.

"We'll have to see what we can do." She suggested.

---

They sat together in the fading light watching as the orange ball dipped into the ocean. Marissa was sitting between Ryan's legs as he lay back on the sun lounge beside the pool.

"I guess I should go and put some light's on." He said softly. For some reason sitting there in the dark watching the sunset he hadn't wanted to break the peaceful silence, even now choosing to do it as quietly as possible.

"Why? Can't we just sit here a while longer?" Marissa asked.

"Sure. I just thought you may have been getting hungry."

"No. I'm good for now." She sighed and moved back further against him to close the small gap between their bodies.

A few minutes passed and Marissa said. "How about a spa? I have that new bikini that I bought for last weekend and it's never even been wet." She added.

"Actually a spa sounds good. But I don't think you should get your new bikini wet. Then it wouldn't be new anymore." He replied.

Marissa turned slightly to look at the mischievous smile playing on his face. She couldn't help but smile in return. "And what do you suggest I wear if I don't wear my new bikini?"

"I don't see the need for you to wear anything." He suggested.

"And what about you?" Marissa asked.

"I thought I'd dress to match." He replied.

"Did you now?" she asked. She stood up and moved over to the side of the spa and dipped in her toe to feel the temperature. "It's nice." She commented as she stripped off her jacket and dropped it on the end of the sun lounge.

Ryan sat and watched as she continued to remove the rest of her clothes. He could feel his breathing deepen as he tried to keep himself calm but he was fighting a losing battle. The small glow of the light from the kitchen, all that he had to illuminate her outline as he watched the perfect form before him until it was naked.

"Are you coming?" Marissa asked as she moved to lower herself into the water.

"Definitely." Ryan replied as he quickly stripped and slid into the water with her. "In more ways than one. And if I have anything to do with it, so will you."

Marissa couldn't help but smile at his words as she closed the gap between them.

---

Sunday morning they were snuggled in bed when the phone rang disturbing them from their sleep.

Ryan rubbed his eyes briefly then reached for the phone with the same hand while pulling Marissa into a hug with the other. "Hello?"

"Chino? Where's Marissa?" Summer asked.

"Asleep. Like all normal people are at this time on a Sunday morning." He replied.

"Are you inferring that I'm not normal?"

"Well if the shoe fits? But can we do this some other time? I really need my beauty sleep." Ryan commented.

"Well don't take this as me disagreeing with your last statement … but … NO." Summer replied. "I need Marissa and I need her now."

Marissa, now fully awake, could hear Summer's voice through the phone. "Here, give it to me. What does she want?" she asked Ryan.

Ryan shrugged his shoulders but handed Marissa the phone nonetheless. "Didn't say." He replied and then promptly pulled Marissa closer to him as he nuzzled her neck; his hands slipping lower as they started to work their magic on her body.

"Ryan." She said trying to concentrate on the phone call and knowing that she had no hope if he was going to start playing with her.

"Coop?" Summer asked. "I don't even want to know what he's doing to you. Have you got clothes on?" Summer asked.

"Um. Do you want me to answer truthfully?" Marissa asked as she felt Ryan slip lower under the sheets.

"Um. In that case …" Summer thought for a moment. "… no."

"Well .. then … I …" Marissa started wishing that Summer would just get to the point so that she could concentrate on what Ryan was doing instead of trying (unsuccessfully) to ignore him.

"Actually. Forget I even asked. I don't know why you pair even bother. You may as well start up your own nudist colony or something." Summer suggested.

Marissa smiled. "As long as there are only two members, then maybe we will. But I'm sure you didn't call to ask about that. What did you want?"

"Well since you blew me off last weekend, when I wanted to look at wedding dresses, I was wondering if you might be able to spare me a couple of hours this morning; that is, if you can bear to tear yourself away from lover boy? I could pick you up and then we could meet back up with the boys at Sandy and Kirsten's for lunch."

Much as she didn't want to, Marissa knew that she owed Summer this one. She had put her off last weekend and then had refused to commit to a time whenever Summer had raised the question during the week. And how bad could it be anyhow? She loved shopping. She just needed to keep reminding herself of it. Just because she was shopping for her best friend's wedding dress and not her own shouldn't matter. She would just consider it research. It's not like the time would be totally wasted. "Sure."

"O kay." Summer replied. "I'll pick you up in half an hour."

"Better make it an hour." Marissa commented as she looked down at the naked Ryan under the sheets. "I haven't had breakfast yet."

"We can pick something up while we're out." Summer suggested. "There's a Starbucks on the way."

"I'm not talking about food." Marissa informed her friend.

"Ew. Gross. I don't know how you do it?" Summer stated, realising what appetite her friend was now talking about.

Marissa laughed. "You do realise you're starting to sound like Seth. But if you really need a step by step guide and want to come and watch sometime, well … I'd have to clear it with Ryan first, but I suppose ..."

Summer screamed as the implications of Marissa's words hit her. Marissa laughed out loud knowing that she had actually managed to render Summer speechless. There really was a first time for everything.

Ryan raised his head to look at her. He knew he was only hearing one side of the conversation but he was still puzzled nonetheless.

Marissa laughed again. "So do I gather from that, I've got an hour to satisfy myself?" she asked.

"FINE. Just make sure you're both fully clothed by the time I get there." Summer replied and hung up.


	69. The family concerns

_Thanks for continuing to read along with my story. Things are soon about to take a big turn but before then a little Sandy/Ryan time. I don't write this much so I hope you enjoy it._

**The family concerns**

After Marissa had left, Ryan answered a few emails and then walked around the house. He couldn't believe how empty it felt without Marissa. Hard to believe that only a few short weeks ago, she had never set foot inside this house and yet now it seemed completely empty without her there. If he had ever had any doubts, he knew right then and there, that he would do everything in his power to make sure that the distance problem didn't come between them.

He decided to head over to Sandy and Kirsten's early. Summer had dropped Seth there on her way to collect Marissa, so Ryan thought that he may as well pass the time catching up with his family. It would be a lot better than rattling around this enormous house on his own.

---

A short time later, Ryan walked into the Cohen's kitchen to find Sandy sitting at the table reading the newspaper.

Sandy looked up. "Hi. I wasn't expecting you here this early. To what do I owe the honour?"

Ryan smiled but shrugged. "I just thought I'd come and see what everyone's up to."

Sandy nodded. He understood exactly what Ryan wasn't saying. "I understand Summer has kidnapped Marissa to go shopping with her."

"Yeah."

"Bit quiet at home is it?" Sandy asked.

Ryan looked over at Sandy. He was amazed at how quickly Sandy could read him. Over the years Ryan had perfected the art of keeping most of what was going through his mind from people. But it always seemed like Sandy could read him like an open book. "Yeah. I guess." He shrugged, not wanting to make it too obvious just how much he missed her.

"Well, there's only me. Kirsten has dragged Seth down to the bakery to look at cake samples. Why? I don't know. As if he'd be game to make any decision without Summer. Why don't you grab a cup of coffee and pull up a chair? We don't get a chance to chat together very often these days and there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about."

Ryan filled a mug with coffee and then took the chair opposite Sandy. "So what did you want to talk about?" he asked.

"Well, I guess it's one of those things where you might tell me to mind my own business but you know that's not the Cohen way." Sandy said smiling to soften his words.

Ryan said nothing just looked and waited. He knew that whatever it was, once Sandy had decided to talk about it then they would. Nothing that Ryan could do would change that, unless of course he actually walked back out of the house.

Sandy took in Ryan's silence and started. "I'm really just being the messenger here. So don't shoot me."

Ryan frowned wondering just what was coming up.

"It's only because we're all concerned for you." Sandy added.

Ryan was starting to get frustrated. "Sandy, what is it. Just tell me?"

"Okay, So when Kirsten and I took the Nana to brunch last Sunday …"

Ryan shook his head "What have I got to do with the Nana?"

"Well it's not exactly you. It seems that my mother had a talk with Marissa on Saturday evening at her birthday dinner and she's a little concerned about what's happening with you two. She asked me to reassure her and to keep an eye on you." Sandy watched as the frown on Ryan's face deepened, he knew that Ryan was about to tell him to mind his own business so he quickly added. "She's just worried about you. Apparently Marissa indicated that she was intending to return to Europe and we all have a pretty good idea of what that will do to you. I thought things were going to actually work out for you two this time but …"

"They will." Ryan stated before Sandy could finish.

This time is was Sandy that was surprised. "But how? If she's going back …"

"We're not really sure. Actually I was going to ask you for your help. Kate, that's Marissa's manager, is supposed to be sending us copies of all of her contracts. Supposedly she has looked through them but I just thought that I'd like you to have a look as well. We need to know if she can get out of any of them?"

"Sure, I'd be happy to have a look. But Ryan, I don't mean to state the obvious. But surely you're in a position, financially I mean, to just buy them out? If you want Marissa with you, you can make it happen."

"If only it were that simple." Ryan replied. "Marissa refuses to even entertain the idea of using my money. She wants to be financially independent. It seems that she is still haunted by the shades of Julie past. Any suggestions of her becoming a 'kept woman' trigger some fairly horrific reactions."

"Sounds like you speak from experience." Sandy suggested, a smile on his face.

Ryan nodded. "Oh yeah and it's not pretty. I still have the scars to prove it. Still I guess I can understand where she's coming from. I just wish it didn't make all of this even more difficult than it already is."

"So I take it that her returning to Europe doesn't mean that things are over between you?" Sandy asked.

Ryan smiled. "No, far from it. We need to sort out just what her commitments are and then I'm going to try to rearrange things so that I can go and spend some time over there with her. We're not sure how it will work but I'm not letting her go this time." He assured the older man.

Sandy smiled. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. I was starting to worry after what my mother had said."

"Well you can reassure the Nana. There are a lot of things that we don't know the answer to right now. But we do intend to get through this some how. We're going to make it work." Ryan said.

"You know that Kirsten and I will do anything we can to help." Sandy added.

"Be careful what you say. I might just put you in charge of Atwood Industries and then move to Paris."

"Not permanently?" Sandy asked stunned. He couldn't imagine life without Ryan around. It had been hard enough when he had been away at college.

"It wouldn't be my preference. I'd miss you guys too much. And of course it would make things difficult with the business. But I don't really know how we're going to work it all out at the moment. But if it comes to that, then I guess I would." He shrugged. "She's too important to me. I can't let her go." he explained.

"So you're both in this for the long haul?" Sandy asked. It was obvious to Sandy that Ryan was; he just wasn't sure whether Marissa was equally as committed to the relationship. "You've talked about the future?" The look in his eyes saying that he was actually asking an entirely different question, like do you intend to make this permanent?

"Uh huh." Ryan looked over and read Sandy's silent question. He knew he couldn't tell him about their plans but surely he could give him a small hint. He answered it with a smile and a nod. "One day."

Sandy's face broke into a huge grin. "I can't wait." and then added. "Let's have a glass of champagne?"

Ryan laughed. "I think it's a bit early for that."

"It's after noon." Sandy replied.

"I didn't mean early in the day. I meant early, early. They'll be plenty of time to celebrate when we get everything sorted out. And it's going to take a while. So I wouldn't want you jumping the gun."

"Forget about jumping guns? Kirsten is going to be over the moon when I tell her." Sandy said delighted with the news.

"Then don't tell her. Please. We've got enough on our plates to try to sort out at the moment. Marissa has a lot of tough decisions to make in the near future and I'd appreciate it if you kept this chat to yourself. I know that Kirsten wouldn't mean to add extra pressure but I think that she probably would unconsciously."

Sandy nodded. He could see exactly what Ryan was saying. "Okay. But can I at least tell her that you are trying to work things out?"

"Sure. There can't be any harm in that." Ryan said. "Can there?"

---

Marissa felt like she wanted to scream.

Summer had done nothing for three hours but change her mind. Her normally decisive friend had somehow transformed into some strange being with jello for brains that now couldn't even decide on what sort of coffee she wanted. Not only did she have no idea about what type of wedding dress she wanted, she had now 'decided' that she wasn't exactly sure what time of the year she wanted to get married and that until she could work that out, then it was pointless looking at dresses anyway. So the whole thing had been a useless waste of time.

"So, I guess we could just wait until we get to the Cohen's … or do you think we should have something now?" Summer asked as she studied the drinks menu. She couldn't even decide if she actually wanted a drink, let alone what type.

Marissa took a deep breath. She knew that if she had to endure too many more of these shopping trips then it would give her a reason to look forward to returning to Europe. At least then she would be able to escape them. She was starting to think that she would be happy to never get married because if this was what was entailed then it wasn't for her. She figured the way things were going she might develop an allergy to anything vaguely related to weddings. But then thinking about it, she realised that it was only Summer's wedding that she felt this way about. She knew if it was her own she was shopping for, then it would have been a whole different ball game. She looked at her friend still staring at the coffee menu. "Why don't we just get one to go? You can drink it on the way. We don't want to be too late for lunch. I figure they're probably all waiting for us already."

Summer looked at her watch. "Okay. But I've just got to go pee first, or I won't be able to drink a thing. But I can't make up my mind." She said glancing back at the menu again.

Marissa rolled her eyes thinking that it really wasn't surprising that she couldn't decide on what she wanted to drink. All she'd done all day was change her mind.

Taking the easy way out, Summer said "Can you order me one of whatever you're having? I'll be back in a minute." She said as she dashed off in the direction of the bathrooms.

Marissa followed her friend's movements with her eyes while she continued to wait patiently in the line, when all of a sudden she was startled by the ring of her phone. Figuring that it would be Ryan wondering how long they were going to be, she pulled her phone out of her bag to answer it but as she looked at the screen she was momentarily stunned. She froze. Holding the phone in her hand as it continued to ring she kept staring at it, hoping that somehow the letters on the screen would change to say Ryan. Looking at it again, hoping she was imaging it, she could feel her heart start to race. She knew that people were looking at her wondering why she wasn't answering but there was no way she was going to answer it. Eventually it stopped ringing; to be followed shortly after by a couple of beeps to register that a message had been left. The beeps were enough to startle her out of her seemingly trancelike state and she immediately deleted the message without even considering listening to it. Whatever they had to say she didn't want to know. All of a sudden she felt sick just thinking about what the call might have been about. She knew she needed to sit down before she fell down; she had so many things racing through her mind. Leaving the line she moved to an empty chair and sat down still clutching her phone in her hand.

Summer returned from the bathroom instantly noticing the ashen colour of Marissa's face. "Are you okay? You look terrible."

Marissa smiled gingerly. "Um … I just felt a bit off. Do you think we could just go, and give the coffee a miss?"

"Sure. Are you sure you wouldn't rather just sit a bit? You're really pale." Summer suggested concern etched into her face.

"No. I just want to get out of here." Marissa assured her.

"Okay. Is it that time of the month?" Summer asked.

"No. I'm just feeling a bit woozy." Marissa replied

"You're not pregnant are you?" Summer asked, eyes wide like huge saucers. "You and Ryan have been testing the effectiveness of the pill out pretty thoroughly. You can't expect it to keep working with the hammering you've been giving it." Summer suggested.

Marissa's feelings were so jumbled she didn't know what to answer. She had no reason to expect that she was pregnant, and yet the nausea and the light headedness she had just felt were real. She thought that it was all to do with the shock of the phone call but what if it wasn't. What if Summer was right? The sick feeling in her stomach that had just started to improve came flooding back worse than ever. She had so many decisions to make about her future already. Insert a pregnancy into the equation and she didn't know what she'd do. She knew that Ryan would be delighted, but for Marissa, with everything else that was going on, it would be about the worst news possible …

"How about I go and get the car and I'll pick you up at the door. That way you won't have to walk too far." Summer suggested.

"Okay. Thanks." Marissa replied thinking to herself, surely not.


	70. The call

_Okay - get ready for a few surprises. LOL_

**The call**

The two girls were both quiet in the car on the way to the Cohen's. The silence was deafening as they both had a million unanswered questions flying around in their brains. Finally Marissa decided she had to say something. The last thing she needed was for Summer to over-react and tell everyone her suspicions.

"Summ. I'd appreciate it if you didn't say anything to anybody about what went on back there. I'm feeling much better now. I'm sure it was nothing. I probably just didn't have enough to eat for breakfast." Marissa shrugged. "You know … low blood sugar or something."

Summer glanced over noticing that Marissa's colour did seem much better now. "Sure. As long as you promise that if it happens again, you'll go to the doctor and get checked out. You really had me scared."

"Okay. But I'm sure it was nothing." Marissa replied. "I'm feeling fine now." She reassured her friend, then turned to look out at the passing scenery. But was she really fine? What in the world would they have been calling for? Maybe she shouldn't have deleted the message. But it was too late now. There was no way she was calling them to find out. And what if she was pregnant? How would she ever be able to finish up her contracts and then try to find herself a new career if she had a baby on the way? It was common for her model friends to have terminations but she knew there was no way that she could ever do that to a child of Ryan's. But the timing couldn't be worse. She wanted to be in control of her life and right now she was in control of nothing … it was all getting to be too much.

---

The six sat and ate outside beside the pool. It was a beautiful day and the conversation mostly centred around the wedding plans. It seemed that Seth wasn't going to be any help at all with making decisions. As far as he was concerned, Summer could do anything she wanted. And given Summer's level of decisiveness, Marissa was starting to wonder if they would ever get married.

Ryan noticed that Marissa was very quiet. She seemed to be preoccupied and while Seth was busy telling Summer about his adventures at the cake shop that morning, Ryan lent over to talk quietly to Marissa. Taking her hand in his he said softly "Everything okay?" he couldn't help but frown slightly knowing that something wasn't quite right.

Marissa smiled back at him. "Yeah. I'm fine." She shrugged. "Probably just a bit tired."

"Do you want to get going?" he asked, still not convinced that there wasn't something more to it. He wondered if she was maybe finding the constant wedding talk all a bit much. He knew that even he was finding it hard not to tell everyone about their own plans after his talk with Sandy earlier and he imagined that it would be even more difficult for Marissa.

"When you're ready." Marissa replied.

Ryan looked at her and their eyes held. At that moment, he knew that something had definitely happened that she wasn't letting on about. Maybe she would tell him when they were alone. He started to gather up the plates on the table. "I'll just clean up here and then we'll go." He added quietly.

Marissa nodded. "Fine." She watched as he collected the other plates and she went to stand to help him.

"No. You just stay put. I'll just put these in the dishwasher and I'll be back." He said as he made his way into the kitchen.

---

Marissa followed Ryan with her eyes as he made his way back inside. She couldn't help but be concerned about what Summer had suggested earlier. She knew that Ryan would be over the moon, but it would mean that all the independence that she had worked so hard for over the last few years would be lost. She didn't want to do that. Slowly she realised that she could hear something in the distance and as she concentrated a little more she realised that it was her cell phone ringing from inside the house. She felt sick wondering if they were trying to call again. She quickly got up wanting to get to the phone and silence it before anyone else wondered why she wasn't answering it.

---

Ryan was rinsing and stacking the plates when he heard Marissa's cell phone ringing. Her bag was on the table and he quickly dried his hands and then pulled it from her bag opening it and answering in one motion before the caller hung up. "Hello."

"Um. Is this Marissa Cooper's phone?" an unfamiliar female voice asked.

"Yes. It is." Ryan responded wondering who it was. He couldn't recognise the voice at all.

"Would I be able to speak with her, please?"

"Who should I say is calling?" he asked.

"It's Sue Muller from the Bay Area Hospital." The voice responded.

Ryan frowned and started to make his way to the door just as Marissa entered.

He took in the ashen colour of her face and wondered just what was going on. Holding the phone out to her, a puzzled look on his face he said. "It's someone from the Bay Area Hospital."

Marissa stood just inside the door, stunned. She had wanted to stop Ryan from answering it but had been too late. She imagined that it was them trying to get in touch with her again but a hospital? She didn't understand. Had they been injured? But why? How? Marissa was confused. And even if they had, did she want to be a part of it, did she care?

Ryan startled her. "Riss sit down. You're white as a ghost." He pulled out a chair and she sank into it. "Do you want me to talk to them?"

Marissa nodded.

"Um. Marissa can't take the call right now. Could I help? Or I can get her to call you back later?" Ryan asked.

"Who am I speaking to?" the voice asked.

"I'm Ryan Atwood. I'm Ms Cooper's … um … boyfriend." He replied.

"THE Ryan Atwood?" the voice asked.

"Um. I'm not sure. There maybe more than one of us."

The woman on the phone glanced across at the People magazine she had been reading on the train on the way to work and looked again at the cover.

"Then it is THE Marissa Cooper?" she said again obviously in shock.

"I guess. Yes." Ryan replied wondering exactly where this was all headed.

"I really don't know if you can assist me or not Mr Atwood." the woman replied.

"Ryan, please." Ryan corrected her.

"Ryan and please call me Sue. I'm a social worker at the hospital and I'm trying to track down contacts of Cheryl and Emily Thompson. I found Ms Cooper's name and phone number in Mrs Thompson's wallet. Do you know if they are acquainted?" the social worker couldn't for a minute imagine how someone like Cheryl Thompson would know a supermodel and her multi-millionaire boyfriend.

"Yes. They are." Ryan replied recalling the little girl and her mother that they had met in San Francisco. "What's this about? Is there something wrong?" Ryan asked.

The social worker was surprised but continued. "Well yes. You see Cheryl and Emily were passengers in a car that was involved in a serious accident on Friday evening."

Ryan looked at Marissa's face as she stared at him waiting for some news of what this was all about. "Could you hold the line a moment?" he asked and then spoke to Marissa. "It's Cheryl and Emily. They were in a serious accident apparently and the hospital found your number in Cheryl's wallet."

Marissa nodded and frowned. "Are they okay?"

Ryan spoke back into the phone. "Are they okay?"

He listened for what seemed like ages and Marissa noticed the look of shock on his face. Finally Ryan turned to talk to Marissa again. He didn't quite know how to break the news. There was no easy way to say it. "Cheryl's husband and her younger daughter Grace are dead. Cheryl was badly burnt when the car caught on fire and she is in a drug-induced coma."

"And Emily?" Marissa asked thinking about the little girl that she had somehow connected with on their visit to San Francisco.

"Emily was pulled from the wreck by some passers-by before the car caught on fire. She has a few cuts and a broken arm but that's all." Ryan said and then turned his attention back to the phone again. "So what can we do?" he asked.

Ryan listened intently for a couple of minutes and nodded and then said. "Can you just give me a few minutes to talk to Marissa. I'll call you back shortly." He said. "Okay fine." He nodded again and closed the phone.

Marissa was getting frustrated. She now wished that she had taken the call in the first place. She was much too impatient to wait for news that was being relayed.

Ryan turned to her. "Okay so it's like this. Cheryl is in a pretty bad way. She will be fine eventually but it's going to take time and lots of skin grafts. At the moment they have induced the coma to stop her from moving and making things worse. Emily is fine. They have set her arm and she is ready to be released from hospital but that's the problem. They haven't been able to find anyone to release her to. Apparently Cheryl's parents have just retired and left last week to drive up to Canada. They are not expected back for a few months and none of the neighbours know of anyway of contacting them. They assume that they will get in touch sometime but until then, if no one comes forward to care for Emily, then she will have to be released into the care of the state."

"No." Marissa said. She had been sitting and taking in everything that Ryan had said but the thought of the little girl going to a home or foster care was more than she could bear. "I'll look after her." She said without even thinking.

"Riss. What about your job?" Ryan asked.

"You heard J.B. say last night that I've basically finished all my scenes. If they need me to re do any then Emily could always come with me." Marissa said. "Or maybe Kirsten wouldn't mind looking after her, if it's just for the odd day?" Marissa added.

"And what about your commitments in Europe?" Ryan asked.

"They weren't expecting me for a few weeks yet anyhow, so it's not going to matter." Marissa said. The more she thought about it, the more she knew that this was the right thing to do. But she started to realise that she couldn't just make decisions on her own anymore. This had to be Ryan's decision as well. "Of course, if you don't want a child living with us, then I could always find a place of … "

"I hope you know me better than that. We've got plenty of room and if I can help I'd love to. Mind you, as I remember, I wasn't exactly her favourite person." Ryan stated thinking about the scowl that Emily seemed to have reserved especially for him. "I was just worried about you taking on anymore commitments. You seem to have a lot on your plate already."

"Whatever I've got on, this is the most important." Marissa assured him. "And as for Emily … well she'll change her mind once she gets to know you. I bet you have her eating out of the palm of your hand in no time."

Ryan smiled not so sure about her last comment. "Okay. I'm sure we can sort something out. I'll call Sue back and let her know our plans and that we're on our way. And then I think we'd better have a talk to Sandy. I'm sure that we will need to get some kind of approval to have her released to us because we're not related. He may be able to help us with what we need to do."

Marissa stood up. She was now a woman on a mission. "I'll go and talk to him now. You ring the social worker back and find out from her what paperwork we need." She turned to leave.

Ryan smiled as he watched this new motivated woman before him. He reached for her arm and pulled her back just as she was about to walk outside.

She turned and looked at him questioningly.

He gave her a quick kiss. "You know I love you right?"

Marissa smiled; hard to imagine given the news they had just received but she couldn't help herself. "Yeah, the feelings mutual." She replied. "But get on that phone. We've got things to do." She smiled and walked back outside to talk to Sandy.


	71. The Rescue Mission

_Thanks to those of you who are continuing to read. I know that this story may be long but I hope that it manages to keep you interested. There is quite a bit still to come. _

****

**The rescue mission**

A short time later Ryan and Marissa were in the car driving back to the house at Newport.

"So Sandy is going to talk to his contacts and hopefully everything can be sorted out tomorrow or the next day at the latest. We have to petition the court to be appointed temporary guardians but he thinks they should be able to rush that through because of the situation. Hopefully tomorrow. And he said that we may need to get in touch with the staff at the clinic to get them to vouch for the fact that Cheryl was happy to leave Emily in my care. But I don't think that should be a problem. Do you?" Marissa asked.

"No. The supervisor there was the one that offered you a job. I'm sure she'll remember what happened and the fact that it was Cheryl that left Emily with you in the first place." Ryan answered.

"Sandy also said that we will probably have a few forms to fill out but they should be straightforward and if we have any problems to just call him. The people from Child Services will probably want to interview us but he thought they would waive the home inspection since we won't be staying in San Fran, or if they decide that it still needs to be done then Sandy will arrange for it to happen. He has a set of keys that you left with him for emergencies, so he can let them in." Marissa said.

"Okay. And Sue said that Emily wouldn't be able to be released until tomorrow at the earliest anyhow, so that should be fine. And I spoke with J.B. He'll clear things with work so that you can have a few days off." Ryan replied as they pulled into the garage. "Why don't you go and pack our things and I'll get on the net and book us some seats on the first plane available."

"How long do you think we'll be gone?" Marissa asked.

"I guess at least a day or two. We can always stop by and pick up some more clothes at the apartment on the way to LAX if you need." Ryan added.

"Okay. You just get those plane seats organised." She replied.

---

Ryan had looked at everything. He didn't know why, but there was only one seat left to San Fran that day. And it was on the last flight. He knew he could wait and fly up tomorrow but he didn't want Marissa arriving, on her own, after midnight. Ryan knew that, even though Emily wouldn't be released until tomorrow at the earliest, Marissa wanted to get there as soon as possible. She wouldn't rest until she'd seen the little girl. So he reached for the phone and dialled. It rang and rang. Finally the answering machine clicked in. Ryan waited for the message and then said. "Skip, it's me. I'll try your cell but if I don't reach you, can you give me a call as soon as you can. It's urgent." Ryan ended the call and then tried Skip's cell. It answered straight away.

"That was quick." Ryan said.

"Yeah." Skip was obviously short of breathe. "I heard your message. I was just …" he searched for the right words " ... in the middle of something … and couldn't get to the phone." Skip replied still panting. "What's the problem?"

"Exactly how far did you run?" Ryan asked listening to his friend's laboured breathing.

"Run?" Skip asked.

"Well from all the panting ... I mean I know you're not as fit as you used to be but you're really huffing and puffing." Ryan said and then he noticed another voice in the background and it all made sense. He smiled realising just what ... or more importantly who ... Skip had been 'in the middle of'. He smiled and then said "Sorry about the timing, tell Annabel I said hi."

Skip laughed. There wasn't much else he could do since Ryan had obviously worked out exactly what he had been doing. He looked over at Annabel now lying prone in his bed still recovering from their latest bout of love making. "Okay I will. But I'm sure that's not what you called me for. What's the problem?"

"We need to get to San Fran as soon as possible and there are no seats to be had anywhere. Can you take us?" Ryan asked.

"What tonight?" Skip asked.

"Yeah. Do you remember the little girl we told you about when we had dinner up there with you?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, it turns out that she was in a really bad car accident on Friday night. Her father and sister are dead and her mother is going to be in hospital for quite a while. Marissa and I need to get up there. Turns out Emily has no one else. Her grandparents are off driving around Canada and the authorities haven't been able to contact them. So, can you help?"

"Sure." Skip replied looking over at the naked woman beside him and regretting the fact that he wasn't going to be able to finish the day off the way they had planned but how could he say no? "When do you want to leave?"

"As soon as we can." Ryan replied.

"Okay. How about I'll meet you at Orange County airport in an hour?" he suggested.

"Thanks Skip. I really appreciate it."

"What are friends for?" he laughed and then glanced again at the naked body beside him. "When do you think we'll be back?"

"At best tomorrow night. Maybe the day after. Actually, I need to get Annabel to re-arrange a few things for me." Ryan added. "Can you put her on the phone?" he asked.

Skip looked back down at the red head beside him who still hadn't moved. "How about I get her to give you a call in a little while?" Skip suggested.

"You must be good if she still hasn't recovered." Ryan teased.

"What can I say?" Skip replied. "I'm a natural."

Ryan laughed. "Okay just don't be au natural by the time I see you. We'll see you at the airport in an hour."

---

Ryan had a car waiting for them when they got off the plane and they drove straight to the hospital. He had let Sue know that they were on their way and she had promised to wait there for them.

They parked. And went to reception and the young girl behind the counter called Sue to let her know they were there and then directed them to an office on the second floor. Sue was waiting nervously for them. She knew from talking to Ryan that they were only normal people but she couldn't help but be a bit overwhelmed by the thought of the fact that she was going to be talking to the couple on the front of the magazine she was reading. She glanced over at it and then decided to put it in a drawer. She didn't think that it would help for them to know that she had just been reading about them. There was a knock at her door. She stood to open it, only to be confronted by the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. She felt her knees go weak.

"Sue?" Ryan asked.

It took her a minute to gather her senses. "Um Yeah. Ryan. It's nice to meet you." She said as she held her hand out to him. "Thank you for coming so quickly." She added scared that he would notice how sweaty her palms were as he shook her hand.

"We just wanted to see Emily as soon as we could. And this is Marissa." He stood to one side for Marissa to step forward.

"Hi." Marissa greeted.

Again Sue was overwhelmed. They were both so much better looking in real life than they were in the magazine. "Um. Hi. I'm pleased to meet you."

There was deathly silence as Sue tried to calm her racing heart. She needed to get a grip. These people were here for one of the patients. Not to see her.

Marissa hesitated and then said. "Could you take us to see Emily?"

Sue was startled. "Sorry. Of course. Just follow me."

---

As they walked along the hall Sue said to them. "Just to warn you, I don't know what Emily is usually like, but she's been very quiet since the accident. We've struggled to get her to say anything at all."

"Does she know what's happened?" Marissa asked.

"Yes. We've explained it to her and we've taken her to see her mother but of course Cheryl was unconscious. We have told her that her mother will be fine but I'm not sure if she believed us or not? It has to be very hard." Sue suggested still having trouble coming to terms with who she was talking to. "If you think it may be too difficult to cope with her, then don't feel badly about it. We can still try to find some foster care for her." She added.

"No. We'll take her. I don't want her going to strangers." Marissa replied instantly, even though she realised that she was only 1 hour from being a stranger herself. But she had felt a connection to the little girl. She just hoped the feeling was mutual.

Sue stood to one side to let them enter the room. Emily was lying with her back to them and she rolled over when she heard them enter. She just stared at them saying nothing.

Marissa walked over to the side of the bed and sat on the edge. "Hey, Emily. Remember me? Marissa."

Emily nodded and glanced over at Ryan and Sue who were still standing just inside the door.

"How's your arm feeling?" Marissa asked.

Emily just held it up to Marissa showing her the cast.

"Is it still hurting?" Marissa said hoping to elicit some kind of reply from the little girl.

Emily shook her head from side to side to indicate no.

"Do you remember Ryan? He was with me when I met you and your mom."

Emily's eyes darted back to Ryan and she looked at him. The same scowl that Ryan remembered from when he first met her on her face. Her head moved up and down.

"Sue here was telling us that you're so much better that you don't need to stay in hospital anymore. So Ryan and I were wondering if you might like to come and stay with us. Just until you're mommy's feeling better." Marissa asked.

Emily shrugged her shoulders. She stared at the adults in turn and then turned her eyes back to Marissa. "Grace and daddy have gone to live with the angels." She said quietly, the sad, frightened expression never leaving her face.

Marissa smoothed the hair back off Emily's face. "I know darling."

"And mommy won't talk to me." Emily added almost in tears.

Marissa's heart broke for this little girl who was trying to cope with so much. "It's not that she won't talk to you. She just can't right now. Mommy's not feeling very well and she needs lots of rest so that she can get better. But since that's going to take a while, Ryan and I would like you to come and live with us until she's able to take you home." Marissa said trying to reassure her.

Emily looked at Ryan. Her eyes were like saucers and it was as if she was sizing him up. He didn't remember ever being under more intense scrutiny.

Ryan sensed that she was happy to be with Marissa but was still unsure about him. And why wouldn't she be, he thought to himself. She blamed him for taking Marissa away when she and Marissa first met. He moved over to stand beside Marissa. "We really hope that you will say yes? Marissa needs someone to keep her company while I'm away at work everyday." He said, thinking that if she realised that she would have Marissa to herself for some of the time then the idea might appeal more.

Marissa looked at Ryan and smiled knowing exactly what he was trying to do. She took his hand in hers, linking their fingers and squeezing firmly as a sign of thanks. "That's right. I hate to be on my own. We can have fun together. You can come shopping with me. Ryan hates shopping. We can go to the movies and the park. And when your arms better then we can swim in Ryan's pool. Can you swim?" Marissa asked all of a sudden scared that perhaps Emily may have been scared of the water.

The little girl nodded. "My mommy took me to lessons but I'm not very good."

"Well maybe we can organise some more lessons and you'll have a pool of your own to practise in. So … what do you think?" Marissa asked holding her breath. She thought this was much worse than going for a job interview.

Emily looked at the two adults before her, still with not a hint of a smile on her face. "Okay." She said more with a tone of acceptance than anticipation. "Do we go now?" she asked.

Marissa took a big sigh of relief. "Not just yet. Maybe tomorrow. You need to get some sleep now and Ryan and I will see you in the morning." Marissa added and then leant down and gave the little girl a big hug.

Ryan placed his hand lightly on Marissa's back; just a touch, to let her know that he was with her in whatever she chose to do. As Sue watched from the doorway she felt a lump in her throat. This couple who were sensationalised in all the gossip mags were prepared to make room in their busy lives for a little girl who needed someone. It was times like these that she knew why she did this job.


	72. Changes

_I'm not sure if everyone has stopped reviewing because they've lost interest or what? I'd love to know if you are still reading. Thanks._

****

**Changes**

Ryan and Marissa returned to Sue's office with her to find out what they needed to do the next day to sort out the formalities. Sue helped them with all she could and as they sat filling out some forms her phone rang. After a few minutes on the phone she replaced the receiver and looked up at Ryan and Marissa.

"That was Nicole, down at reception. Obviously somebody noticed you when you arrived and there are now several photographers and reporters down there waiting for you. They are all asking questions about what you're doing here. I'm sorry to have brought you here if it means that you are going to have to face all that."

Ryan spoke to Sue but looked at Marissa as he spoke. "Don't worry about it. We're sort of used to it. But Emily has enough to cope with right now. We'd prefer it if the hospital would just give no comment. At least until we can get her out of here. It can turn into a bit of a circus and I don't think she needs that after everything she's been through."

Sue nodded. "I couldn't agree more. Don't worry about the hospital. Our official stance will always be no comment. Privacy rules dictate that anyhow. What I can't guarantee is that all our staff will be as equally tight-lipped but I'll do my best to keep a lid on it." Sue replied.

"I guess that's all we can ask for." Marissa stated.

Ryan finished signing the last of the documents and said. "Okay so if that's all we can do tonight then I guess we'll leave you and see you in the morning?"

"Where's your car parked?" Sue asked as Marissa and Ryan stood up to leave.

"Out the front, in the visitor's car park." Ryan replied.

"Why don't I show you the back way out. At least it's dark now, so as long as you don't go out the front doors, you should have a pretty good chance of being able to get to your car without anyone seeing you." Sue suggested.

"Thanks. That would be great." Ryan said as they moved to follow her.

"We really appreciate this." Marissa added as she took Ryan's hand and they followed Sue through some doors labelled 'Staff Only'.

"Given what you're doing for me … or at least Emily … it's the least I can do." She replied as they made their way down a flight of stairs and she opened a fire escape door that opened directly into the car park.

"That's our car just there. So thanks and we'll see you in the morning." Ryan said.

"Okay. I'll see you soon." Sue replied as she closed the door. She leant against it for a minute still wondering if she should pinch herself. None of her friends would ever believe just who she had been talking to.

---

Ryan and Marissa made their way to the hotel that Ryan had booked. He had stayed there before on business but had never had a 'companion' with him. He didn't know whether the looks they were getting were because of the fact that he actually had someone with him or just because of who he had with him. Either way it was a bit disconcerting. But they managed to get to their room without incident and that was all that really mattered.

After tipping the porter and locking the door behind him, Ryan turned to see Marissa standing at the window, silently looking out at the lights of the Oakland Bay Bridge. He walked up behind her and gently pulled her into his arms. She moved willingly into his embrace and he said softly. "Penny for your thoughts?"

She smiled and turned her head to look into his eyes. "Are we doing the right thing?"

"Does it feel right?" he asked. The truth was he'd been having exactly the same thoughts himself.

"Well it did. I didn't have any hesitation when we were in Newport. But now … after seeing her … I mean I want to help her more than ever … but … how do I? I don't know how to look after a child …. And especially one who has been through what she's just been through." Marissa replied, doubts filling her mind.

Ryan had to agree but he figured they were too far down the path to change their minds now. So all he could do was try to reassure Marissa. If they were going to do this then it had to be together. "Well, I'm not sure that I'm going to be much help either. I don't know anymore than you. But she trusts you .… and we both care about her … and I do know that we'll do whatever we can to make her life as good as it can be at this point in time. And right now, I think that's about all we or anybody can do for her." Ryan replied.

Marissa turned in his arms and put her arms around his neck. She realised that he was doing all of this for her; because she had felt a connection with Emily. "You do realise that your bachelor pad will now have more females than males. You're about to be out numbered." Marissa said giving him a soft kiss.

"Ah. But I'm hoping there are some fringe benefits that come along with sharing my space." He smiled returning the kiss.

"Exactly what sort of benefits were you looking for?" she asked kissing him again. This time the kiss was longer, her tongue slipping briefly inside his mouth.

Ryan returned the kiss and slowly moved his hands down to pick her up. Marissa wrapped her legs around him as he lifted her and moved towards the bed. She could feel his arousal through his jeans and the heat in her started to build.

"Maybe I should show you?" he suggested between kisses.

"I think you should." Marissa replied. "I need to know what I'm getting myself in to."

Ryan laughed.

"What's so funny?" Marissa asked.

"I was just amused by your choice of words. I figure I'm the one who's going to be getting into something." He kissed her again. "And right now that something is you." He added.

---

Monday morning, Marissa awoke early and lay in bed not moving. She could feel Ryan's naked body cocooned around hers and she sighed as she started to think about all the things that were going to change for them. She probably wouldn't be waking up like this anymore, for one. They would actually have to start wearing pyjama's in case a little girl came wandering in on them. And that was just the start. Marissa thought back to 'watching football' with Ryan and helping him 'clean up' when she wore the apron but nothing else. There would be no more of that if they had a four year old wandering about. Things were definitely going to change. She would miss it and she knew that Ryan would too. But they would cope. Hell, families with one child managed to find time to make a second or a third so there would have to be some opportunities for them to be together. They would just have to make the most of them. As the thought went through her brain she smiled thinking that there was no time like the present to start. She had an opportunity right now and she decided that she didn't want to miss it. Sure it was early. And sure Ryan was still asleep but she knew she could change that. And she intended to, starting right now. She gently turned over in his arms and then she started to kiss him starting at his forehead and slowly covering his face.

He started to smile as he felt her lips upon him but kept his eyes closed enjoying the attention he was getting. He thought it couldn't hurt to pretend to be still asleep and see where she was going with this.

Marissa knew that he was now awake and just pretending to be asleep but while he wasn't fighting back she decided to make the most of having a compliant Ryan. Taking her time, she moved lower, kissing over his shoulder and then down over his torso, now using her hands as well as her lips and tongue to touch and stroke him. She pulled the sheet off and pushed it to the end of the bed and she watched as her target grew before her eyes. She glanced back at Ryan who now had a smile plastered across his face but still with his eyes closed. By this time Marissa could feel the heat growing between her own legs. She couldn't believe that it could happen so fast and yet he had not even touched her. It was only the memory of what he could do to her and the expectation of what was to come; that was all it took to make her like this. As she neared her target the ache between her legs grew and so she slid her body over his and Ryan opened his eyes to find her legs now either side of his face. The smile on his face got even bigger as he took her unspoken invitation and he used his tongue to work his magic on her as she returned the favour to him.

---

When Marissa had recovered she rolled off Ryan and they were still lying top to tail. Ryan felt for her hand linking his fingers with hers.

"Trouble sleeping?" he asked.

Marissa smiled. "A little. But it was more about making the most of our opportunities while we still have some." She replied.

"You've thought about that too, huh?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah. I'm going to miss this." She commented.

"Don't say it like that. It sounds like we'll never get to do it again. And I sure hope that's not the case. We'll just have a few less opportunities." He said.

"A lot less I suspect." Marissa replied.

Ryan thought for a moment. "In that case. What time do we have to be back at the hospital?"

"Sue said to be there by 9. She was going to set up the interview with the people from Child Services."

Ryan propped himself up on his elbows, he glanced at the clock and then looked at her. "So we've still got a couple of hours. In that case …" He raised his eyebrows letting her know what was on his mind.

Marissa returned his look with a smile and a small nod letting him know that she was more than ready to go again. How were they ever going to cope on sexual rations?

---

They pulled into the hospital at 8:50. Ryan parked at the far end of the car park and they both sat in the car for a few minutes to see if there were any paparazzi still around. It looked like the coast was clear so they made their way to the main doors but were no sooner inside, than a flash went off in their eyes and a voice recorder was thrust in front of them.

"Can you tell us why you're here?" A blonde woman in front of them asked as she proceeded to walk beside Marissa. "Are one of you seeking medical attention?"

Ryan and Marissa ignored her and continued walking towards the lifts.

"This is one of the west coast's best facilities for infertility problems. Are you here to get their help?" the woman persisted.

Marissa turned to look directly at the woman. Much as she didn't want to make eye contact, the woman's last question had hit a nerve with Marissa. Here she was a little concerned with the fact that she may have been pregnant when she didn't want to be and this woman was suggesting that they were here to seek help with getting that way. It all seemed a little ironic.

The reporter held Marissa's gaze for a moment, noticing that she'd hit a chord and then rephrased her question. "Are one of you incapable of having children?" she asked again hoping to get a response from Marissa this time.

By now Ryan was fed up. He didn't like paparazzi at the best of times, invading his privacy. But this woman had stepped way over the mark. He moved between Marissa and the reporter using his body to shield Marissa from the reporter's persistent questions and then looked up to notice one of the hospital security guards moving towards them. Ryan was very pleased that the guard stopped the reporter and her photographer from following them any further.

Ryan pressed the up button on the lift and was pleased when the guard came back to stand with them. "Thank you." He said.

"No problem. In future, I'll get you to call me when you arrive and I'll meet you in the car park. I'm sorry you had to go through that." The guard said.

"Don't worry. Unfortunately, we're used to it." Ryan added.

"Well, I'll still try to make sure that it doesn't happen again. I've been assigned to look after you while you're here." He said.

Ryan turned to the guard surprised. "Well, in that case, I'd better introduce myself. I'm Ryan, Ryan Atwood and this is Marissa Cooper." He added.

"I sort of already knew that, but thanks and my names Keith." The guard replied.

"Keith, Hi" Ryan said and offered his hand.

"Hi." Marissa added.

"So you're off to see Sue right?" Keith asked as he shook Ryan's hand.

"Yeah." Ryan answered.

"Then where to?" the guard asked.

"We're not quite sure. Sue was setting up some appointments for us today. So I guess we'll be able to tell you after we speak to her." Ryan replied.

"Okay. Just fill me in when you know and I'll do my best to ensure you don't get bothered too much."

"Thanks. We really appreciate it."


	73. The Past Comes Back to Bite

_Thanks for the reviews. It looks like there are still some people reading. So on with the show. There's a surprise coming up. Enjoy!_

**The past comes back to bite.**

Sue had organised for the people from Child Services to meet with them at 9:30.

"Do I have time to drop in on Emily before we see them?" Marissa asked.

"Sure. I've actually organised for the use of a small meeting room on Emily's floor for you. So Child Services will meet you there. I'll come up with you now. We'll drop past Emily's room and then I'll take you to the meeting room and stay with you until they arrive so that I can introduce you. But then you will be on your own. Their interview will probably take about an hour or so and I have organised for you to meet with the hospital's Child Psychologist after that. I hope your okay with that? She rang me this morning and asked if she could meet with you and I think it's a good idea. Emily has been through a lot and Charlotte may be able to give you some strategies to help you cope with her. It's not going to be easy, so I figured that any ideas she might have that could help, you'd be happy to listen to." Sue informed them.

Marissa looked at Ryan and shrugged. "Sounds good to me. We'd be the first to admit that we have absolutely no experience in looking after small children especially ones that have been through what Emily has."

"Okay. Why don't you just give me a call when you have finished with Child Services and I'll track her down and get her to come and see you? That way you don't need to be wandering around the hospital and you'll have less chance of running into one of your 'friends' from downstairs. I see that you have already met Keith. He's available to help you out whenever you need it, especially when you are arriving and leaving the hospital. If you stick to just Emily's floor you shouldn't have too many problems moving around. The staff there have all been briefed." Sue suggested. "And then, I hope its okay, but after lunch I have organised for you to meet the realtor who Cheryl and her husband rent their house from. She'll meet you at their house and let you in. I thought you might like to pick up some of Emily's things; some of her clothes and favourite toys. It may help her settle with you a little easier if she has familiar things around her. She probably has a favourite doll or teddy."

"That's a great idea." Marissa replied and then looked at Sue. "Thank you. I don't know what we would have done without you."

"Well don't worry the feelings mutual. If you hadn't come forward then I would have been trying to place Emily in a foster home. And in all honesty … most of the foster parents I know have their hands full at the moment. I can't think of any of them that would have been prepared to take on someone like Emily. But come on we'd better get out of here or you'll barely be able to say hi to her before your meeting." Sue added.

---

By 11 am Ryan and Marissa felt like they'd been through the third degree. Child Services had been really thorough and tough. Apparently because of the fact that they weren't related to Emily and in fact, barely knew her … plus the fact that they had no experience with children at all … and that they weren't married or even in a de facto relationship of any degree of standing all were going to make this seemingly 'easy process' more difficult. The two representatives from Child Services really were very non committal about what they thought their chances were of getting the court to approve their appointment as temporary guardians. It wasn't looking good.

After the Child Services officers had left Ryan called Sue who said the Child Psychologist was with her but that she would come straight up. Sue said to just sit tight and she would be with them within a few minutes. He looked at Marissa who was obviously feeling much the same as him.

"What do you think are our chances?" Marissa asked.

"I really don't know. I'm sure that Sue will put in a good word for us. We'll just have to wait and see. But they did say that they would work on their recommendations this afternoon and that it won't go before the court until tomorrow morning. So I guess where here for another night at least. How do you think Emily will go with that? She seemed to be looking forward to getting out of here when we spoke to her earlier."

"I know." Marissa replied. "I'll go and break it to her as soon as we've finished with the psychologist. I figure the sooner the better. She'll be disappointed but as long as it really happens. You don't think that they would actually decide that she couldn't come with us do you?"

"I don't know. This isn't something that I have any experience in. I might give Sandy a call later and just see what he thinks." Ryan replied.

Just then an attractive brunette about their age walked into the room. She introduced herself as Charlotte Robinson the child psychologist assigned to Emily's case. She kept looking at Ryan. And Marissa was a little uncomfortable with Charlotte's obvious fascination with him. Marissa knew he was a good looking guy. Actually, she knew he was sexy as hell. But part of Ryan's attraction was the fact that he was completely unaware of it. But it was fairly obvious that Charlotte had noticed. Marissa was starting to feel jealous of the looks she was giving him even though Ryan was being so adorably and totally clueless about it. After a very short discussion of where she felt Emily was at, she recommended that since they had no experience with parenting that she would give them copies of some of the information that she had in her office and that they should read through them and then later they could ask her questions. Ryan and Marissa were happy for any assistance but Marissa was anxious about getting back to Emily. It was now after noon and she knew that she had promised to be back to help her with her lunch as she was having trouble feeding herself with her left hand.

"Why don't you go back to Emily now?" Charlotte suggested to Marissa. "Ryan can come with me to my office to pick up the handouts and then he can meet you back at Emily's room."

Marissa looked at Ryan. "Sounds fine?" she commented waiting to get a reaction from him.

"Sure." He shrugged. "I'll see you back at Emily's room, shortly."

"Maybe not too shortly." Charlotte said. "I may have to go and copy some of the information if I don't have spares. So don't bother sending out the search party if he's a little longer than expected." She said to Marissa.

Marissa looked at Charlotte. Something about her seemed a little off. She didn't know what it was but Ryan was a big boy she knew he could look after himself.

---

Ryan followed Charlotte to her office and when they got there, she opened the door and stood aside to let him in first and then followed him inside. "Just take a seat." She said. Ryan moved to the visitors chair in front of the desk and sat down. Charlotte then closed the door and locked it.

"Um. Why did you lock the door?" Ryan asked.

"I don't want to be disturbed." Charlotte replied a smile on her face that was more of a smirk and it was making Ryan feel very uncomfortable. She moved to stand in front of Ryan leaning her rear on the edge of the desk. "You don't remember me, do you?" Charlotte asked.

"Ah, I'm sorry. No." Ryan replied. "Should I?"

"Well, I guess I should be offended. But you had been drinking a lot. Which actually only makes your performance that night even more remarkable." She replied.

"I think you must have me mixed up with someone else." Ryan replied.

"Oh No. It was you. Berkeley? Final year? Hell Ryan … you may not remember me but I sure as hell remember you. It was like winning the lottery to be your 'chosen one' for a night. Come on. Up until then, I'd heard the term 'fucking someone's brains out' but I'd never thought it was actually possible. You proved me wrong. My brains were certainly scrambled by the time you'd finished with me."

Ryan started to feel sick. When he'd returned to college that year, after believing that Marissa had left him for greener pastures, Ryan had drunk a lot and slept around a lot. He wasn't proud of it now. But at the time it was his way of coping. He didn't know why Charlotte would bring this up. Surely it should be as embarrassing to her as it was to him. "I hope I didn't hurt you?" Ryan asked.

Charlotte gave a small snigger. "If you mean 'hurt' in the physical sense then no. Hell. It was amazing, wonderful. I didn't know that you could get a high from sex that was better than any drug known to man. I couldn't get enough of you. Almost too wonderful if that is even possible. But "hurt' in the emotional sense then …" she looked up at him and nodded. "yeah and I've still got the scars to prove it."

"I'm sorry I don't understand." Ryan said.

"I've spent years now sleeping around trying to find someone … anyone that can come even close to you in the sack. You see it's become a bit of a quest of mine. I don't even care how old they are or what they look like anymore. I started out with the good looking ones, but when I realised they weren't any good in bed, I became less fussy." Charlotte explained. "Now as long as they have something between their legs, I'll give them a try."

Ryan started to get up from his seat. "I really don't feel comfortable talking about this."

"Sit down!" Charlotte said and pushed him back into the chair. "And listen very carefully to the proposition I have for you."

Ryan sat back down, wondering where all this was going. "What proposition?"

"It's really very simple. I'm prepared to do something for you … if you do something for me." she said.

Ryan said nothing but waited for her to explain herself more.

"I know that you are going to struggle to get appointed temporary guardians of Emily. You have too many things going against you. However, if I was to write a recommendation as her psychologist suggesting that it was the best thing for the child then I could almost guarantee that it would fly through in no time. Without that letter of recommendation, you're in deep shit." She suggested.

Ryan was almost afraid to ask, but he knew just what that letter would mean to them, so he had to. "And what do I have to do for you in return?" he asked.

"Well really you win out of that as well." Charlotte replied. "Because it should be enjoyable for you too. All I want is another session like the last one. You gave me a taste of something back then and I want a another taste. You see, I figure that you really can't be as good as I remember. I'm sure I've just embellished it in my memory and that if I go back and find out what you're really like then I'll be able to finally put all this behind me and move on."

"You've got to be joking?" Ryan said and started to move towards the door. "I'm with Marissa now."

"I couldn't care less who you're with. I'm not looking for a relationship. I just want a fuck. And a good one." Charlotte stated.

Charlotte stood between him and the door staring him in the eyes.

"NO WAY." Ryan said sternly, glaring back at her.

"Think about it. If you really want that little girl then I don't think you have much choice. And …" she grinned menacingly and added. "I'll also promise not to tell your sweet girlfriend just what you were like at college. I'm sure she'd love me to tell her about your exploits. We may even start a little fan club together of women that have been shagged by Ryan Atwood. Do you think she'd go for that? We could compare notes about how many different ways you can do it ? Maybe start a poll on what our favourites are?"

Ryan stepped around her and moved to the door.

"You can tell me your answer in the morning … But we both know that you don't have a choice. If you sleep with me … and let me assure you there will be no sleeping … then you should have no problem getting approved as guardians. But if you don't … then you break you girlfriend's heart." She shrugged. "Either by not getting Emily or by Marissa finding out exactly what you're like. I'm sure one of those will do it. So if you really do care for her then what choice do you have?" Charlotte said and turned to unlock and open the door. "I'll see you first thing in the morning." she grinned. "I'll make sure I don't wear underwear… just in case we're pushed for time." She added at Ryan as he walked out the door and back down the hallway.


	74. Issues

_To the reviewer that found the story boring and hideous - You didn't leave your name so I don't know if you write anything that I could use to show me what you think is good and you didn't actually offer any constructive criticism so I don't know what you think I can do to improve it. I'm sorry you feel that way about the story but all I can suggest is that you don't have to read it._

_To everyone else - thanks for the support - it seems I need it more than I thought._

**Issues**

By the time he got back to Emily's room, Ryan felt sick. What was he going to do? As he entered the room Marissa looked up at him and the glow in her eyes touched his heart. He watched Marissa helping Emily with her lunch and it was amazing to see how much the little girl had opened up to her in such a short amount of time. Somehow he had to make sure that they had no problems with the court because not only would Emily be devastated but Marissa as well. But he knew he couldn't give in to Charlotte's blackmail. There had to be some other way to get himself out of the situation he was in. He knew there was no way that he would ever go through with what she had asked but the question was what he could do to stop her. Not only could she reveal everything about his past to Marissa but also to the paparazzi that were hanging around the hospital. That sort of publicity he didn't need.

He had thought of nothing else since he had left her office and an idea had started to form in his mind. But he would need help. He moved to the bed to speak with Marissa. "I just have to go and see Keith for a minute. I'll be back soon." He gave Marissa a kiss and walked out of the room and down the corridor to where Keith was standing beside the elevators keeping guard.

"Everything okay?" Keith asked as Ryan neared him.

"Actually no. I've got a problem and I'm hoping you can help." And Ryan proceeded to outline his plan to Keith hoping that he could count on him for his assistance and discretion.

---

After lunch, Keith escorted Ryan and Marissa to their car and they took off to meet with the realtor. The address that Sue had given them was about 30 minutes from the hospital and near where the community health centre was that they had visited a few weeks earlier. As they neared it, Ryan couldn't help but compare the area to the one that he had grown up in. It was the Chino of San Francisco. They pulled up outside a run down house not unlike his old home although at least it was tidy and the garden was neat. There was a woman sitting in a car in the driveway and she got out of her car as they did and approached them.

"Hi, I'm Gina Walker, I'm pleased to meet you." She said. She had been amazed when the social worker from the hospital had contacted her about this visit and told her who she would be meeting. This would make some story to tell her friends.

"Hi. Ryan Atwood" Ryan said and shook her hand.

"Marissa Cooper." Marissa said as she shook hands as well.

"Would you like to come on through? I gather you have to pick up some things? … How is the little girl?" Fiona asked.

"Improving." Marissa replied. She figured if Gina didn't even know Emily's name then she obviously wasn't very well acquainted with them so why go in to detail?

Fiona unlocked the door and let them in. Marissa moved inside the house and made her way down the hallway looking for a bedroom that looked like it would belong to Emily. Emily had given her very strict instructions about what Marissa was to get. Her favourite Little Princess pyjamas and her Rupert Bear were top of the list. Marissa quickly found a bag in the wardrobe and started to fill it with the things that Emily had asked for and some other basics.

Meanwhile, Ryan stood in the lounge room still with Gina. He had this amazing feeling of déjà vu. Once inside the house he realised that it didn't remind him of his home at all but rather inside, it reminded him of Theresa's. It was old and worn but it was neat and clean and tidy. Cheryl obviously did the best she could with what she had, which from the looks of things wasn't much.

Gina cleared her throat and started to speak. "I don't know just how you know the Thompson's but um … I'm afraid I have to ask you this … but there doesn't seem to be any other way. But you see … the rent on this place is only paid up until the end of the month. If they don't come up with next month's rent by then … well they'll be evicted." She shrugged.

Ryan looked at her and for a moment he felt like he was dreaming. He had heard realtors say the same thing to his mother on so many occasions. But this time, he could make sure they wouldn't be throwing a family out on to the streets. He reached for his wallet and took out a business card and handed it to her. "If you'd just like to get in touch and let me know how much needs to be paid and when, I guarantee that I'll cover the rent for as long as needed. At least until Mrs Thompson gets back on her feet again."

Gina was stunned. She hadn't for a minute imagined that he would do that. She was more looking for them to organise to get all the stuff out of the house so she could re-let it. But hey … she didn't care where the money came from as long as it was paid. "Sure. That won't be a problem."

Just then Marissa came back to join them. "I think I've got it all." She said and looked around the room in case there was anything else that caught her eye. "But what about the plants and things? And maybe we should empty out the fridge? I'm sure Cheryl won't want to return to mouldy food." Marissa added.

Ryan looked at Gina again. "Could you organise for someone to come in regularly and keep the house up as well. Get them to clean out the fridge and water the plants, keep the lawn mowed … that sort of thing. Just let me know how much it costs and I'll cover that as well." He said.

"As well?" Marissa asked.

Before Ryan could say anything Gina piped up smugly. "Ryan's going to pay the rent so they don't get evicted."

"Is he now?" Marissa said smiling but with her attention fully on Ryan.

He started to blush. He didn't like being the centre of attention. At least not like this. "Come on. If you've got everything, then we should be getting back to Emily." He said changing the subject.

"Okay. Come on." Marissa said and handed him the bag. She smiled as she watched his reaction. He was adorably embarrassed. She was sure that he would never have told her about the rent issue if the realtor hadn't mentioned it. He really was quite a guy.

---

By the time they returned to the hospital it was nearing dinner time and Marissa was keen to get back to Emily. Keith met them at the door and escorted them back to her floor. He was really earning his keep as it seemed that the number of reporters and photographers seemed to have grown every time they moved through the entrance of the hospital. When they got back to Emily's room, Marissa went to walk directly inside.

Ryan grabbed her by the arm. "I might just go and get a coffee and something to eat from the hospital cafeteria. Would you like something?" he asked her.

"Sure that would be great. A coffee and a muffin or what ever they have left I guess by this stage of the day." Marissa replied.

"Okay. I'll be back soon." Ryan said and then turned to Keith. The two moved a little way back down the hall, making sure they were out of earshot of Marissa. "How did you go?" Ryan asked.

"Okay I think." He said and moved down the hallway. "Just follow me and I'll show you what I've got set up."

---

After Emily had finished her dinner, she asked Ryan and Marissa to stay and play a board game with her. She had found an old board game the toy cupboard and explained that she'd teach them how to play. Marissa was happy to oblige but what she was even happier about was the fact that Emily had actually included Ryan in the invitation. Marissa wasn't sure if Emily asked him just because she knew it was the only way that Marissa would stay but she wasn't complaining. Any amount of acceptance from Emily for Ryan would only make things easier in the long run.

Marissa couldn't help but be amazed. Ryan was wonderful with Emily. He knew that Emily was very uncomfortable around him so he didn't push her at all. He actually sat back and waited for Emily to make the first move in all their interactions. And it seemed as if it was starting to pay off. Once she had set up the game she asked him to come and sit on the end of her bed because he wouldn't be able to reach very well from the chair. It may have seemed a small thing to some but she and Ryan both knew it was a major step.

---

After settling Emily down for another night at the hospital, Ryan and Marissa made their way back to the hotel. Along the way, Ryan suggested they stop off for dinner at a restaurant.

"Wouldn't you rather just have room service?" Marissa asked. Her eyebrow raised in a silent question indicating it wasn't just food that she was in need of. She had gotten used to having him kiss and touch her whenever they were near and they had both been restrained while they had been at the hospital. Not wanting to put pressure on Emily and they also didn't want to give any prying eyes, fodder for the tabloids. She now wanted to make up for the day they'd spent together but apart.

Ryan knew he was just looking for a reason to postpone being alone with her. That sounded ridiculous because in truth all he wanted in this world was to BE alone with her. But after the confrontation with Charlotte he knew he had to talk to Marissa and tell her about what had happened. And that meant telling her about that final semester at college; better for her to hear it from him than from Charlotte. But he had no idea how she would take it. "Sure." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Well don't be so enthusiastic?" Marissa commented. "If you really would rather eat out then fine." She was amazed by his reaction. She had thought that he would be as eager as her, to be alone together.

"Sorry. I'm probably just tired." He said; his excuse sounding pathetic even to his own ears.

"So … it's my fault is it for waking you up so early this morning?" Marissa asked shortly. "I'll have to remember not to do that ever again."

Now it was Ryan's turn to be taken aback by her tone. "I didn't say that. You know that you can wake me up whenever you feel like it. Have I ever complained?" he asked.

"No. I just … I'm sorry. Maybe I'm tired too." Marissa replied. She knew she was on edge. She was worried about what the outcome of their temporary custody application would be. She knew that Emily would be devastated if she wasn't able to come home with them. It had been hard enough just trying to settle her for another night when she had hoped to be getting out of the hospital with them today. If she couldn't go home with them tomorrow then ...

They both remained quiet, lost in their own worlds … troubled by their own thoughts until Ryan pulled into the hotel and they made their way up to their room. Once inside he picked up the room service menu and passed it to Marissa. "What would you like to order?" he asked.

"I'm not really hungry." She replied.

"You have to eat something Marissa." He insisted.

"I don't feel like it." She replied starting to get angry.

"You'll end up getting sick and then how will you look after Emily?" Ryan asked hoping he could get through to her.

"Fine. I'll have a bowl of soup." She replied making sure he understood it was only to get him off her back. "But the way things are looking we won't be getting Emily anyway."

"Is that why you're behaving like this?" Ryan asked, realising that she was just as stressed as he was but it was just for a different reason.

"Like what?" she replied tersely.

He sighed. He didn't want to fight with her. Especially not now before he had even started to break his news to her. "Not like you." He said and moved over to her … taking her in his arms. "You're worried about tomorrow's outcome." Ryan stated.

Marissa looked up at him and nodded. "Why wouldn't I be? The way those people from Child Services were talking today, I don't think that we've got any chance. And Emily will be devastated. Did you manage to talk to Sandy?"

"Yeah. But he's pretty much done all he can. He didn't have that many contacts up here in the first place. He always worked in the LA area. And apparently the couple of people he did know have recently retired so they're no help."

Marissa shook her head. She was starting to think it was all hopeless. "I just wish there was something else we could do … I would do anything, if I thought it would help." She said and turned to him with tears in her eyes.

Ryan looked at her and his heart broke. He kept replaying her last words over and over in his mind. I WOULD DO ANYTHING, IF I THOUGHT IT WOULD HELP.

How could he tell her that he COULD help but had decided not to? He needed to tell her now. It was never going to get any easier.


	75. Laying it on the line

**Laying it on the line**

"Ris? I have something to tell you and I want you to promise to hear me out before you make any judgements or decisions?" Ryan asked as he took her by the hand and led her over to sit down on the sofa.

Marissa looked at him and frowned. "Ryan … what is it? You're scaring me?" he had her worried. She'd never seen him like this before. He actually looked like he was going to be sick. The colour had drained from his face. "Is it something about Emily?" she asked panic stricken that Sandy had really had more information that Ryan had kept to himself.

"Part of it. But I have a confession to make to you first and I need to know that you will hear me out and not judge me hastily. I'm scared that you won't want anything more to do with me otherwise."

Marissa smiled thinking that this was all some sort of strange joke. She couldn't imagine anything that would make her feel anything but love for him. "Are you kidding?"

"No." he said bluntly. He didn't know where to start.

Marissa was surprised by his tone but waited ... and waited. Ryan had his head low, his eyes looking at their hands as he rubbed the back of hers with his thumbs. He couldn't bring himself to look into her eyes. Finally she said "Ryan, just tell me."

He took a deep breath and began, still not looking at her. "Well …" he wasn't sure just where to start. "It's about my last semester at college."

Marissa waited. She thought back to that time. How broken hearted she had been after she'd believed that he had moved on with Lindsay. She waited until he looked up and their eyes met; the sorrow obvious in both sets of eyes as they remembered a period that was probably the worst in both their lives. "Ryan … what about it?"

"Well … I guess we both coped at that time the best we could. I haven't told you about what I was like because … well … I'm not very proud of it and I'd like to take it back if I could. But I can't and today it came back to bite me." he said.

"Ryan, I still don't understand." Marissa said bewildered by what he was saying..

"Okay. Well … it's like this. When I thought that you'd moved on to bigger and better things. I didn't know what to do. I hurt … all the time. Whenever I thought of you, it felt like my heart would break all over again. So, to try to numb the pain … I drank … a lot. And …" Ryan hesitated and looked back into the eyes of the woman he loved. Would she understand or would she condemn him?

"And …" Marissa urged him to continue.

"And I slept around." Ryan said as he watched Marissa's face start to crumble. "A lot." He added.

Marissa was stunned but finally asked "How much a lot?"

Ryan shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't keep count. And most of the time, I was pretty well smashed. But I made myself a pact, that I would never let anybody break my heart like that again, so to make sure I didn't even think about getting attached to anyone, I never slept with the same girl twice. It was a continual progression of one night stands. It was the best way of making sure that nobody ever got close to me again."

"It sounds like there were plenty of girls got close to you." Marissa stated. She felt partly numb. It seemed that she didn't know how to process this information so her body was pretending that it didn't matter. But somewhere in her heart and mind she knew it did. It mattered ... a lot.

"No." Ryan corrected her. "Maybe physically close but that was it. What I was doing was trying to forget; thinking that for a short time my mind and body would be able to think about something other than you with someone else. It didn't work of course. I'd still wake up every morning and you would be the first thing I thought of."

Marissa still sat stunned. She didn't know what to do; how she felt about all this? And then something in her brain registered and she was puzzled. "And why are you telling me this now? What's it got to do with Emily?"

"Because … it turns out that Charlotte was one of those girls." He stated.

"Charlotte? As in psychologist Charlotte?" Marissa asked.

"Yeah. I didn't remember her. But she assures me she was." Ryan replied.

"No wonder she was looking at you like that." Marissa stated.

"Like what?" Ryan asked.

"Like … I don't know?" Marissa felt sick as she recalled the look on Charlotte's face. "But it was definitely odd. She gave me the creeps." Marissa said "And now I know why."

Ryan hung his head. "Wait until you hear the rest of it." Ryan said.

"There's more?" Marissa asked.

"Oh yeah. The good bit is still to come. She basically tried to blackmail me into sleeping with her again."

"What? … So that's why you told me … to make sure that she couldn't blackmail you?" She said.

"Partly. She offered to write a letter as Emily's psychologist recommending that Emily stay with us. She assured me that with that letter, the custody application should fly through. She knew that without it, we are likely to have trouble." Ryan explained.

"And she would only do this if you slept with her?" Marissa asked.

Ryan nodded.

"What did you say?" she asked.

Ryan frowned. Why would she need to even ask him that? "I said no of course." He replied.

"So, she won't write us the letter and she was going to tell me. Is that it?" Marissa asked flatly, still having trouble proceesing what he had told her.

Ryan nodded. "Marissa. I love you. You know that. I'm sorry about the way that I behaved back then, but at the time I thought that I had lost you for good."

"If it was so easy to sleep around back then, why won't you do it for Emily?" Marissa asked wanting to hurt him as his words had hurt her.

Ryan just stared at her. He couldn't believe that she had asked him that. "I thought that was obvious." He stood up and made his way to the door. "Don't wait up." He said as he left the room and slammed the door behind him.

---

Marissa sat and stared as the door slammed closed behind him. She didn't know why she had asked that. She had just wanted to hurt him as he had hurt her. She knew she should go after him but she felt like she was frozen in the one spot. All she could think about was Ryan with an assortment of women and then Ryan and Charlotte doing God knows what. One of the things that she had always loved about him was the way he had always been able to get her body to respond to him in ways that no other man had. She had always thought it was because they had something special between them. But perhaps it was just that he'd had so much practice. Maybe anybody could do that if they'd been with enough different women. She shook her head. There was a part of her that knew that wasn't right but another part that wasn't so sure.

She sat there trying to get her body to move again. She was numb; although, maybe that was good. She thought that if she wasn't like this, then she would probably be crying uncontrollably. Images of Ryan the man slut filled her mind.

She had no knowledge of the passage of time as she sat and went over what he had said. Over and over it went through her mind. She was angry at him and saddened by the knowledge of how he had behaved. And the fact that it was her mother that had caused all this in the first place only seemed to make things worse. But Ryan had made his own choices. And she didn't know how they could move forward after his revelation. She didn't know what to do. In desperation she reached for the phone looking for help.

---

Ryan went down in the lift and when he got to the foyer he hesitated realising he had no idea where he was headed. On a whim he turned and headed for the nearest bar. Pulling up a stool he ordered a double and sat and nursed his drink while he thought back over his conversation with Marissa trying to think if there had been a better way for him to break the news to her. As he emptied his glass and ordered a second he wondered if this was it for them. If she truly wanted him to sleep with Charlotte for the sake of the custody hearing then he knew once and for all that she didn't feel about him as he did about her. He knew he would rather die than have her sleep with another man.

As he stared at the bottom of his glass yet again, a sultry blonde walked up to him and perched on the stool beside his. She leaned over towards him, making sure he got a good look at her ample cleavage, and said "Hey handsome. Want some company?"

Ryan looked up at her and for a minute tried to refocus his eyes. He laughed to himself at the ridiculousness of the situation. This was just the sort of girl that he would have taken up on her offer a few years ago. But things were different now. Or at least he hoped they were. He shook his head. "Not tonight." He said and turned away and ordered another drink.

---

Summer looked at the ringing phone and grabbed it on the second ring. "Hey Coop. How's things going up there? Will you be home tomorrow?" she asked brightly. She'd been out shopping that afternoon and had bought some clothes for Emily and she couldn't wait to see how they looked on the little girl. She was really looking forward to being a temporary 'aunt'.

Marissa didn't know what to say. She was holding the phone so tightly her knuckles were turning white. It was as if it was a lifeline that she was gripping on to. But she couldn't bring herself to speak.

"Coop? Are you there?" Summer asked again.

"Summ." Marissa croaked out in an obvious plea for help.

Summer realised that something was desperately wrong. "What is it? What's wrong? Has something happened to Ryan?" Summer asked a million thoughts rushing through her brain. She wondered what could have happened to make her friend sound like this.

"Ryan …" Marissa repeated thinking yeah something had certainly happened. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Sorry?" Summer asked. "Tell you about what?"

"Ryan."

"What about Ryan?" Summer asked again.

"And college." Marissa stated.

Summer went quiet. She wasn't sure where this was going but she knew it couldn't be good.

"What about Ryan and college?" she asked trying to feign innocence.

"How many people did he sleep with?" Marissa asked.

"Who have you been talking to?" Summer asked.

"Ryan." Marissa said flatly.

"Is he there?" Summer asked.

"No. He left." Marissa replied, trying hard to just respond to the questions and not really think about the implications of what was being said.

"Well where is he?" Summer asked.

"I don't know." Marissa replied. "And I'm not sure if I care." She added.

"Coop. What's going on? Tell me. No more twenty questions." Summer knew that something major had happened between her best friends and just how important this conversation might be.

"Ryan basically told me that … he … slept with anything that moved. Is that right?" Marissa asked feeling her heart constrict inside her chest as she waited for the answer.

It went through Summer's mind to say that from the talk about the place, that she was pretty sure, that Ryan didn't spend much time sleeping but she didn't think that Marissa would see the humour in that response. She searched her mind for what to say in reply. "Why would he say that?"

"Don't answer my question with a question. I just need to know?" Marissa stressed.

"Why? What difference does it make?" Summer asked.

"What do you mean what difference does it make? It makes all the difference in the world. How can I be with him if that's the case? He's not the person I thought he was." Marissa stated.

"Who did you think he was?" Summer asked trying to keep things simple.

"What do you mean?" Marissa asked.

"I mean exactly what I said. Think back to this afternoon. Who do you think he was this afternoon?" Summer asked again.

Marissa thought back to being at Emily's house with him when he blushed when it came out that he was going to pay the rent and all the up keep expenses for Cheryl's house. She thought back to him sitting playing a board game with Emily; taking things so softly, softly with her and the fact that Emily was starting to respond and reach out to him. Her heart filled with love. She didn't know what to say to Summer. She couldn't admit just how in love she was with him. It would be setting herself up for a fall. "He was just Ryan." Marissa said not wanting to explain herself. And then she thought about what he had told her. And it all came crashing down. "But that was before I knew." She added.

"Well. He's still JUST Ryan, you know?" Summer said trying to get her friend to realise how lucky she was. "Nothing has changed. Sure he's revealed a bit of his past to you that I'm guessing he would have rather not had to admit to. I think he regrets exactly how he handled things back then. But Marissa you have no idea what he was like. He was like a shell of his former self. We used to think that he didn't talk much before and that he brooded sometimes. But when he came back from New York, he was shattered. He barely spoke to anyone – even Seth. We all only guessed at what had happened because he never spoke about it."

Marissa considered what Summer was saying. She knew what a mess she was herself. But never for a minute did she consider sleeping around. She tried to numb the pain in other ways.

Summer waited for a response but when she got none she continued. "No one's perfect. We all make mistakes along the way. It's the way we respond to them that makes us the people we are. We learn from them and change … hopefully for the better." Summer said wondering if any of this was actually getting through. "Did you love Ryan before he told you?" she asked waiting for a response this time.

The silence between them grew until finally Marissa squeaked out a reply. "Yes."

"And what has he done since then to make you change your mind?" she asked and then added. "And don't you dare say that you've stopped loving him because he told you about something that he did years ago. As if you've never done anything in your life that you regret, I can think of a couple, like ODing in TJ and trusting Oliver. Are you telling me if you had your time over again that you wouldn't change a few things? … We don't make mistakes intentionally but we do make them. The important thing is whether we keep making them or do something to change. Well Ryan has changed. He stopped being like that years ago. To the best of my knowledge he hasn't been with anyone for a long time before you came back. Hell for all I know the guy's been celibate for the last few years, so if you average it all out maybe it's not that bad." Summer laughed trying to ease the tension. "It's not like this is something that he was doing just before you came back and you're concerned that he's some sort of sex addict that will always behave the same way and cheat on you. The guy realised that what he was doing was wrong and more importantly it wasn't helping him forget you at all. So he stopped. And now you're trying to punish him. I don't understand you. What makes you think you have the right to be so judgemental and self-righteous?" She asked starting to get angry with her best friend.

Marissa sat going over everything that Summer had said. She couldn't believe that Summer was getting angry with her. Surely Ryan was the one that deserved everyone's wrath. Was she really being that hard on him? She didn't know. All she could think about was him with other women. She knew she needed to think. "I've got to go." She said to Summer and hung up and sat there alone with her thoughts.

_R/R Thanks_


	76. Decisions

**Decisions**

Ryan nursed his drink, while in his mind he went over and over his conversation with Marissa. Had there been some other way to tell her what had gone on? If there was he couldn't think of it. The fact was that what he had done was … obviously unforgivable. She had tried to call him a short time ago but he hadn't answered. He was having his own internal struggle and he couldn't deal with her condemnation at the moment. He was condemning himself more than enough for the both of them. It was a period of his life that he had tried to put behind him and not think about. Not only because of his behaviour at the time but also because it was the most painful time of his life. When Marissa had admitted to contemplating suicide during that time he hadn't had the heart to tell her that it had crossed his mind as well. What a fine pair they were. But were they still a pair? If she really wanted him to fuck Charlotte just so that they could get custody of Emily then he didn't think so. He knew that she wanted to help Emily … hell so did he. But he thought that what they had between them was more precious than anything else on earth. Marissa obviously didn't agree.

His insecurities about Marissa stared to grow. He had always thought that she was too good for him and he felt that it was obvious – and it became more obvious to him the longer he sat there – that she didn't love him as much as he loved her. He had been having a few doubts before this when she wouldn't commit to moving with him. He felt like he was prepared to sacrifice more than she was, just so they could stay together. He knew that he would rather die than have her sleep with another man but obviously she didn't feel that way at all. But trying to drown his sorrows didn't work. He knew that from experience. As he realised that he wasn't going to find the answers in the bottom of the glass, he called over the bartender and got a glass of water and started to question just where could they go from here?

---

Some time later, when Ryan had finally come to terms with what he was going to do, he made his way back to the room. He stood at the door not knowing what to expect. Taking a deep breathe he opened it slowly to be confronted by … nothing. The room was almost dark. A soft glow, which was coming from the still turned on television, all that stopped him from being in complete darkness. He moved forward thankful for the light that emanated from it which cast strange patterns over the room, but at least stopped him from walking into the furniture.

He moved passed the empty sitting area and noticed Marissa's form in the bed, her back turned towards him. He considered waking her but decided that there was nothing to be gained. This may very well be the last time they would share a bed so he thought tomorrow would do. They could deal with it all in the morning. He started to strip off his clothes.

Marissa heard him come into the room and panicked. She didn't know what to do or say. So she stayed exactly where she was … waiting to see what he would do. She heard him move towards the bed and then stop in front of the chair that she knew he would put his clothes on and an invisible pull that she could not deny forced her to roll on to her back so that she could watch him. He had his back to her and was facing the chair. Her eyes followed his outline as he took off his shoes and socks. She couldn't help but smile at the fact that ever since their "dance" in Miami that had resulted in them making probably the sweetest love ever, he had always taken his socks off first. He proceeded to shed his shirt and then undid his belt. She heard the zipper on his jeans as he pulled it down and then they too joined the rest of his clothes. He went to pull off his wife beater and she held her breathe knowing that the boxers would be the last to go only to watch him hesitate. He pulled the beater back down in place and turned towards the bed. Marissa was stunned. If she had any doubts about how he was feeling then he had just answered them without words. They hadn't worn clothes to bed since they had got back together. He moved to pull the cover back on his side of the bed and she quietly said. "Ryan, I'm sorry."

Ryan was surprised. He had thought that she was asleep and had let down his guard, thinking that he had a reprieve from dealing with all this until the morning but it looked like he wasn't going to be so lucky. "You don't have to be. I was the one who did it." He replied.

"I just …" Marissa searched for a way to explain her behaviour but came up short.

"It's all right." He said and turned and sat on the edge of the bed, his elbows on his knees and his head between his hands. "I understand. I'll go and sleep on the couch and we'll talk in the morning." He said.

"No. We need to sort this out now." Marissa said.

"It's okay." Ryan said resignedly. "I'll do as you want ... But there are a few conditions." He stated running his hands through his hair.

"Conditions?" Marissa queried.

"Yeah. Just let me get them out and this will be over once and for all." He added.

"What?" Marissa started to panic. What was he talking about?

"Just let me finish please." He said softly, his heart breaking with each word. "It's going to be hard enough to get this out once; I can't keep going over it." He looked back at her and then turned back to the chair again knowing that looking at her would only make it even harder. "I will do as you wish and …" he searched for the right word but only one came to mind "fuck Charlotte so that you can get Emily. I guess I owe you that much. But then that's it. It will be my parting gift to you. You will have to move out of the apartment. I can't be around you anymore. It's too hard and it hurts too much. The two of you can use the house at Newport and I'll stay in the apartment until Cheryl's recovered and Emily can go home. Then you can return to Europe." He explained, feeling more and more gutted as each word left his mouth.

---

"No." Marissa cried.

Ryan turned to look at her. Wondering what else he could do for her. He thought that he was giving her everything she wanted. "Ris. I can't live with you knowing that you don't feel for me the way I feel about you. It's too hard." He stated his voice catching in his throat.

"Ryan. I love you." She replied simply. She knew there were a thousand other things that she should say to him but right now she wanted to keep it simple. So there could be no misunderstandings.

Ryan turned to look at her. "Yeah but not enough. Not the way that I love you." He replied softly.

As she moved towards him the light from the television reflected off the moisture glistening in his eyes and she realised that he had tears that were slowly starting to escape and fall down his cheeks. She realised in that moment just how much she had hurt him. "More." She said and then continued, knowing that she had to try to get him to understand why she had even suggested it to him. "I guess I just wanted to hurt you. I'm so sorry. The thought of you with anyone but me … it was more than I could bear. Please … forgive me for what I said. I love you." She said again looking at him and hoping that her words were getting through. "Sure, I'd like to think that we could help Emily. But not if that's the price."

Ryan listened to her words but wasn't sure if he could dare to hope. "What do you want from me?" he asked.

"I want what I've always wanted … You." She stated simply. "You … we … us" she said. "That's the most important thing in this world to me."

He looked into her eyes wondering if he could believe her. He wanted to so badly and yet …

Marissa reached out to him and as she moved to pull him into her arms the sheet fell down to reveal her nakedness.

It was the final straw for Ryan. There was no way he could resist her and he moved into her arms as they hugged one another trying with all their might to repair the damage that had been done; both blaming themselves for where they were.

They held one another as Marissa started to cry, the emotions that she had been holding in finally escaping. It was strange that as she started, Ryan stopped, now more concerned about Marissa than himself.

He held her tightly to him, as she released the floodwaters and after she finally started to gain some control he pulled back to wipe the tears from her eyes. "Hey. I think you're supposed to be happy now. It seems like maybe we are going to get through this after all." He said a small smile making its way on to his face as he tried to elicit one from her as well.

She did her best to mimic his. "So … we're good?" she asked.

He smiled again. "Well you're good. As for me … I don't know how you will ever be able to forgive me?"

"What's that old saying … Let he who is without sin cast the first stone? I figure I have a few things in my past that I would change if I could." She gave him a small smile. "But just let me tell you my conditions - you are definitely not ever sleeping with anyone ever again but me." Marissa stated.

"Sounds good to me." he replied. "Can I start now?" he asked pushing the sheet lower to expose more of her naked body.

"No." Marissa replied and Ryan looked up disappointed. She continued, the smile widening on her face as she did. "Because what I have planned for you doesn't include sleeping." She added as she pulled the wife beater over his head and then smiled.

As he realised the meaning of her words he smiled too.

"Now get those boxers off and get in here with me. But no funny business just yet. We have plans to make. Somehow we have to find a way to deal with Charlotte once and for all that doesn't include you rocking her socks off." Marissa said.

"I don't think she was wearing socks." Ryan stated as he pulled off his boxers and joined her in the bed; moving to take her in his arms again. "And nor am I you might have noticed?" he asked.

Marissa hit him playfully. "I don't care about her socks but as for yours … I did notice that they were missing so maybe we should work off a bit of our excess energy first and we'll figure out what to do about Charlotte later." She suggested.

"Mmmm. I like the way you think." Ryan replied running his hands over her body and feeling her respond to his touch. "Actually there are a few other things I like about you as well." He added as he drew her to him and kissed her deeply. He pulled back and said "You know I love you more than life itself? I promise I will never sleep with another woman as long as I live."

Marissa felt her heart swell at his words. "That's an awful long time." She replied.

"Yeah. But see I'm an authority on the matter. As you know, I've done a lot of research and I know that you're the best there is. At least for me. We fit together … perfectly." He said as he rolled on top of her.

"We do don't we?" she smiled as he lowered his head and their mouths reconnected.

---

The next morning, Ryan and Marissa lay in bed, limbs entwined. They hadn't gotten much sleep between plotting, planning and make-up sex but neither was complaining. They both knew that they had managed to overcome a hurdle, and a large one at that, and they were still together. That would have been unheard of in their teenage years where every bump seemed to derail them. But they were older and wiser now and they knew that they could overcome anything as long as they stuck together.

"So do you think that we can pull this off?" Marissa asked.

"I hope you're talking about our plan and not what you currently have in your hand?" Ryan asked his eyes bulging as Marissa began to work her hand along his length.

She laughed realising the ambiguity of her question. "Don't worry. I'll never pull this off. I like it just where it is." She said slowing her strokes as she watched the play of emotions on his face.

"That's a pity. I like it more when it's somewhere else." Ryan replied as he slipped his fingers into her moist core testing to see if perhaps she might like it somewhere else as well.

"And where would that be?" Marissa asked teasingly as she felt the need for him build in her yet again.

"How about I show you?" Ryan replied and rolled over on top of her, their plan forgotten for the moment as life outside their room ceased to exist for a short time.

---

Keith met them in the car park to escort them into the hospital. The media still hadn't given up and several seemed to have set up camp in the hospital entrance but thanks to the hospital security they weren't getting any further.

Ryan put his arm around Marissa's shoulders as they walked towards the lifts ignoring all the questions that were being thrown at them. They entered the lift with Keith and since they were the only occupants, Ryan turned to Keith and asked. "Are we all set?"

Keith glanced at Marissa not sure whether to say anything or not.

Ryan realised his hesitation. "It's okay. Marissa knows everything." He stated and pulled her close and smiled. "We don't have secrets."

Marissa couldn't help but return his smile. "No we don't." she assured Keith. "And that woman is going down if I have my way. There is no way she is getting her slimy paws on Ryan." She added.

Keith laughed. He had come to enjoy the time he spent with these two. "Maybe I should be feeling sorry for her?" Keith suggested.

"By the time we've finished with her, maybe you should." Marissa smiled and gave Ryan a quick kiss.

"So when do you want to do this?" Keith asked.

"No time like the present." Ryan replied. He looked at Marissa. "I think we'll both feel better when we know it is all over." He squeezed her hand that was now linked with his.

"Okay. Well everything is set to go." Keith said as they arrived at Emily's floor.

"We'll just go and say good morning to Emily and then we'll do it. Give us 10 minutes." Ryan said.

---

A short time later Ryan sat in an interview room on the sixth floor. Keith had set everything up and he and Marissa were waiting next door. Ryan had called Charlotte and she was on her way. He tried to run over everything again in his mind. He didn't want there to be any possibility of errors. He wished that he had never put himself in this position but he intended to clean up this mess once and for all. His breathing quickened as he heard the short tap on the door and it opened to reveal a smiling Charlotte. She was wearing a short skirt and a tailored jacket with a zipper front.

"Good morning Ryan." She smiled at him suggestively. "Why in God's name did you have me come up here? I'm sure I could have found somewhere more convenient for us." She stated.

"I needed to be away from the Children's ward." Ryan stated thinking quickly.

Charlotte smiled. "Yes. We couldn't have Marissa coming in and interrupting us now could we." She said as she turned and looked at the door. "Still as long as it's got a lock on the door … which it has" she said as she turned the lock and then looked back at him. "I'm sure we'll be fine." She smiled at him. "Why don't we get started?" she asked as she hooked a finger in the loop on the zipper and pulled it down revealing nothing but a black lacy bra.

"Before we start. I just want you to tell me exactly what we are doing here?" Ryan asked.

Charlotte smiled. "I don't think you need directions Ryan. If I remember correctly you could give lessons in what we're about to do."

_R/R Thanks_


	77. The Sting ?

_I'm not sure if people have stopped reading or just stopped reviewing but there is still a lot of this story to go. If you want me to keep posting it then just let me know. Thanks. _

****

**The Sting ??**

"I want to know exactly what you're offering and why?" Ryan asked.

"I told you yesterday." Charlotte said moving towards him.

"I need to be quite clear about what's in this for me" he said. "Otherwise I'm leaving now."

Charlotte took a deep sigh. "If I must. But let me tell you this is definitely a way to kill the mood. You're just going to have to work that much harder now to get me off. I have to admit, I was half way there just from the thoughts of you that were running through my brain while I was walking up here. After you called for me to meet you here it was all I could do not to run the whole way. But I'm sure you realised that anyway." She smiled.

Ryan remained silent. The more she said the better. He waited for her to continue.

"So … it's really quite simple. You want custody of Emily and as long as you do as I ask then I promise to supply you with a recommendation as her psychologist that she should be placed in your care. With it, I'm sure you'll have no problems." She said as she moved towards him wanting to peel off his clothes. From what she could remember he had an extremely buff body and he knew how to use it. It didn't look like that had changed in the intervening years. His clothes hung from him in just the right ways. She could feel herself getting hot and wet just thinking about what was underneath them and also what was about to happen. She couldn't wait.

"And what exactly do I have to do to get this recommendation?" Ryan asked moving to the other side of the room and placing the interview table between them.

Charlotte thought for a moment and replied. "Fuck me senseless should do it." She said looking smug. She slid down the zipper on her skirt and shimmied out of it. It fell to the floor revealing a black suspender belt holding up her stockings but as promised no panties. He didn't know where to look. She obviously wasn't backward in coming forward.

Ryan was shocked but knew he had to continue to get her to talk. If he stopped now they wouldn't have enough on her. "And if I don't?" Ryan asked.

She looked at him puzzled. "What do you mean if you don't? Of course you will. That's what we're doing here. If you don't ... then there will be no recommendation which probably means no Emily which means broken hearted girlfriend. And if that doesn't do the trick then I could just tell Marissa about your past. Then she wouldn't be your girlfriend any longer anyhow. And just for good measure I could always have a chat to those friendly reporters down in the foyer. They seem to want to talk to anyone that has had anything to do with you and we both know that they would love to hear about what I've done with you or maybe I should say what you've done with me." She stated and then pulled off her jacket as she moved towards him.

The door flew open and Marissa walked in closely followed by Keith. Marissa looked like she was ready to scratch Charlotte's eyes out and Keith stayed close ... in case he was going to need to physically restrain her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here? And how did you even get in? I locked the door." Charlotte asked turning on them and then realising her state of undress she picked up her skirt and held it to her groin.

"I have a key." Keith stated, holding it in front of him. "Great thing working in security, I have access to all the keys." He said unable to stop himself enjoying the view in front of him.

"Well you have no right to be here." Charlotte stated not sure what all this was about.

Marissa had moved to stand with Ryan and gripped his hand firmly. "I have every right." She stated simply and smiled at him. "We've got it all." She added.

Ryan looked to Keith for confirmation. "Yep. Every bit. It only remains for you to decide what you want to do with it?" Keith said.

Ryan looked at Charlotte and then pointed to a small camera on the ceiling in the corner of the room. "It seems that we have video of you trying to blackmail me. I say trying because if you actually go through with any of your threats then I can assure you that copies of the video will be delivered to your employers and your professional registration board. And if that's not enough then I'm sure those friendly reporters you were talking about downstairs would be interested as well. You're current outfit would look interesting on the front page of the paper."

Charlotte stood there stunned, trying to understand all the implications of what he had just said. "So I suppose that now you're going to blackmail me unless I give you the recommendation?" she said realising the seriousness of her actions.

"Surprisingly no. I wouldn't stoop so low as to do that. I'm …" he looked at Marissa and squeezed her hand. "We're" he corrected "prepared to go that alone. We'll win or lose the case on its merits. And just so you know, there isn't anything that you could tell Marissa that she doesn't already know." Ryan added.

"And just in case you don't believe him, I assure you that anything that he did with you and your 'friends'…" Marissa said the word making them sound like a disgusting sort of life form "… years ago, makes no difference to me. All that matters is what he does to ME from now on." Marissa smiled. She knew she was being petty but it was all she could do to not slap the woman across the face. "And by the way, let me assure you, he's only gotten better." She added for good measure, wanting to turn the knife.

Charlotte stood there still taking in all that had happened. She couldn't believe that they had beaten her at her own game. She realised that she was still standing there dressed in only a black bra, suspender belt, stockings and high heels and gripping her skirt to cover her newly acquired Brazilian. "Get out. Just get out all of you." She screamed.

Ryan, Marissa and Keith happily obeyed and they made there way back to the children's ward with the video tape safely in hand.

---

Ryan and Marissa spent the rest of the morning with Emily. They took her to see Cheryl but they couldn't stay long. She was still in a coma but her doctors said that she was progressing well. It was very hard for Emily to understand exactly what was going on so they didn't prolong the visit knowing that it only upset her.

Sue had come to tell them that their custody hearing was to be at 3. So as soon as Emily had finished with lunch they got her dressed and then waited for Sue to come and get them. She had volunteered to come with them to the family court offices and speak on their behalf if it would help. They were meeting the attorney that Sandy had arranged there. Ryan had spoken with him earlier and they hoped that everything would go okay although apparently the judge that had been assigned to their case was known to be a stickler for doing things by the book. And that didn't look good for them.

---

Some time later ... things weren't going well.

Judge Collins, as expected, had only been interested in following exact procedure. Emily had sat outside the judge's chambers with Sue, while Ryan and Marissa were interviewed. Their attorney was present but really could do very little. The judge had asked if they were related to Emily in any way. And when they said no they were just friends, he had asked for them to explain the depth of the friendship. Ryan and Marissa knew that things were looking grim, especially when it was explained that they would want to take Emily to LA to live with them. Judge Collins asked them to wait outside whilst he spoke to Emily.

---

Ryan paced up and down, whilst Marissa watched him. They didn't know what else they could do. It was obvious from the questions that the judge had asked and the fact that he had cut them off whenever they had tried to elaborate that he was not keen to approve their custody application. Sue had gone in with Emily and they were hoping that things were going well in there. But they had no control. Ryan hated the feeling of helplessness over what was going on. He went and sought out the attorney, who had left them to make some phone calls. He wanted to find out what the protocol was with being able to speak to the judge privately. The attorney, Matt, assured Ryan that Judge Collins would never allow it. That would have been definitely outside the rules and there was no way that he would stand for it.

---

After Emily had finished, she and Sue exited the office and Ryan and Marissa were asked to go back inside.

While he waited for them to return, Judge Collins sat running over things in his mind. He had decided not to approve their custody application. There were too many reasons against it. They were not related. Hell, they barely knew the child. They wanted to take her to a different city to live; away from her mother. They were not in any sort of long term relationship. He had seen the newspapers. These people attracted attention wherever they went. Even though the child had indicated that she would like to go with them, there was no way that he would consider putting her under the sort of intense media scrutiny that this couple attracted. He couldn't for the life of him understand why people like them would want to take the job on anyhow. He figured that they probably were bored with their lives and thought this would be some sort of interesting adventure. Like those film stars that went and adopted children rather than ruin their figures or give up work and then proceed to leave the children with nannies while they continued on with their busy lives. There was no way that he was going to put this child into that sort of situation. He had no problems with either of them personally, although he suspected that both were so wealthy that they would be used to getting whatever they wanted, so he knew that they were unlikely to take the news well. As he waited for them to sit down, he looked to find his words.

---

Ryan could tell from the look on his face that the judge was going to decide against them so before he opened his mouth, Ryan spoke up. "If I could, I'd just like a couple of minutes of your time to explain to you why it means so much to me personally to be able to give Emily this chance."

Judge Collins looked at him surprised. He checked his watch to make sure that he wasn't running late for his next appointment. "Okay. You've got 2 minutes." He said sitting back and thinking to himself that this should be good.

Ryan cleared his throat and started to speak. "I don't know if you're aware but I grew up in a place called Chino which is not dissimilar to where Emily lives. Through a series of circumstances I found myself as a teenager with no where to live. I had been abandoned. Thankfully I was taken in by a wonderful family who opened their house and their hearts to me. Without them, I would have wound up on the streets. Not a day goes by that I don't thank my lucky stars for what they did for me. If I hadn't met Sandy Cohen" Ryan shook his head thinking back to the time "or if he and his wife hadn't taken me in, then who knows what would have become of me? So what's happened here now? Well … we met Emily through a series of circumstances that caused our paths to cross. And she now needs someone to care for her. I can't help but think that I am being given an opportunity to repay some of the help and kindness that was given to me. This is my chance to make a difference in someone else's life. What makes it even better is that Marissa and Emily have a very close bond. If you could see them together you would know that. I'm sure that you are concerned about the fact that we live in LA but I'm guessing that if our application is not approved then you will have to find foster care for her and I wonder how often they would be able to get her to visit with her mother. As you are no doubt aware, I am more than able financially to provide for anything that Emily may require and we could guarantee that we could bring her up to visit with her mother regularly. The cost involved wouldn't be a problem. I just ask that you give us this chance." Ryan looked to the judge, wondering if his words had made any difference.

Marissa reached for his hand and squeezed it wanting him to understand how moved she had been by his opening up to the judge to plead for Emily. She knew how hard that would have been for him and she would never forget it.

Judge Collins was stunned. He certainly hadn't expected Ryan to make that sort of plea and he could now see that maybe he had judged them a bit hastily. He thought that they probably would be very good foster parents for the little girl but it still really meant that he would have to go out on a limb to approve it and that wasn't something that he liked to do. He was mulling over his decision when there was a knock at door. He hated to be interrupted, especially when he was deep in thought and so he chose to ignore it. He had enough on his mind at the moment.

The knock came again. More insistent this time. Ryan and Marissa looked at one another wondering what was going on as the judge looked at the door. The glare on his face almost daring someone to open it.

Again, the knock sounded and this time the judge rose from his chair and moved to open the door. "What's going on out here? You know I don't want to be disturbed." He roared.


	78. The Interruption

**The interruption**

Sue stood at the door quaking in her shoes. "Um. I just thought you should know before you made your decision that Emily's psychologist is here and wants to speak with you." She said.

The judge looked behind Sue to see Charlotte standing there. "I gather that's you?" the judge asked.

"Yes. Your honour. I'm sorry I'm late. I got here as fast as I could. I wanted to bring you my recommendation for your consideration." She handed him a report.

The judge took it and then moved back inside his office. "You'd better come inside." he instructed Charlotte as he moved to close the door behind her. He sat back down behind his desk and proceeded to peruse the report that she had given him.

Ryan and Marissa were stunned. They had no idea what Charlotte's purpose there was. They didn't know what she would have written. After what had taken place that morning, they were afraid that she had come to extract some sort of revenge. They were trying to make eye contact with her but she gave nothing away as she moved to sit in a vacant chair and watched the judge read through her report.

When he had finished, the judge looked back at Charlotte. "Are you sure about this?" he asked.

She shrugged, "As sure as I can be." She replied.

Ryan was startled by this. What was going on? Should he object to her being there? He guessed that he couldn't do that since she was Emily's psychologist. But he had thought after his plea to the judge that they just might have had a chance. If Charlotte had now come to spoil it for them, then he knew he would never forgive her.

The judge rubbed his worried brow. It was obvious to all of them that he was reconsidering whatever decision he had earlier come to. But they didn't know if that was good or bad.

The judge looked at the four people in front of him. The attorney had barely spoken a word and he had no idea what he was even there for? Why the psychologist was running so late he would like to now, but he guessed that was irrelevant now, because he did need to take her professional opinion in to account. Which brought him back to what should he do about the couple in front of him? He could tell from the expressions on their faces that they were desperate for him to find in their favour. But could he? So much had changed in the space of such a short time and he didn't like change. At all! He looked up at them and started. "This really is a very unusual case." He said. "I don't mind telling you that I thought that this would be open and shut. The facts were clear and indisputable and yet I find myself leaning to doing something that is very unlike me." he said as he looked around the room. "According to the book, you should have no chance of getting custody of Emily. And I'm not one to go against the book." He added as he watched Ryan and Marissa's faces start to fall. "And yet …" They looked back up at him and he could see the hope return to their eyes. "and yet … both the child herself and the social worker seem to think that it is the best chance for her happiness. So I've had to reconsider. Even so, I had decided that it was not enough for me to bend the rules and then you Mr Atwood decided to address me and I have to tell you that it made me rethink the whole situation again. And I don't mind telling you that I was having trouble coming to a decision." He added trying to explain just how difficult it had been for him. "But I guess Ms Robinson here has just made my job easier. Since she's the professional here, I've decided to go with her advice."

Ryan and Marissa held their breaths. They didn't really like to think that the result was all in Charlotte's hands. Just as Ryan was about to object, Charlotte smiled at him. He relaxed for a moment and then realised that maybe she was smiling because she was going to exact her revenge on him.

The judge continued. "If it wasn't for the tragic loss of Emily's father and sister last weekend then I can assure you that she would be staying in the Bay area with a foster family. But Ms Robinson here has recommended that she needs some one on one personal attention to help her come to terms with her loss. Add to that the fact that I know that all of the foster families that we are likely to be able to find for her will have a number of children living with them already and hence the foster parents would not be able to devote the time to Emily that Ms Robinson seems to think that she requires. That being the case I guess I just need to confirm with you that you intend to look after Emily yourselves? You won't be hiring a nanny to care for her while you busy yourselves with your glamorous lifestyle?" he asked.

Ryan and Marissa both looked at him trying to be serious but the smiles on their faces could not be contained. Ryan spoke first "No. You honour. It is our intention that she we will be with at least one of us at all times." He assured the judge but then though better of it. "If anything comes up that requires both of us to attend then either my mother and father, or my brother and his fiancé have volunteered to babysit. She will not ever be left with strangers. And I guarantee that Emily couldn't ask for a better surrogate family. And I should know." He added.

"Okay. As long as it is the exception and doesn't become the rule." Judge Collins replied. "I'm going to award you temporary custody for 2 months and then I will review it. You will also be required to ensure that Emily visits her mother regularly."

"We can come up every weekend." Marissa said.

"I think once every 2 weeks will be all I'll ask. If you chose to do it more often than that, then it's up to you." He replied. "I hope that I don't come to regret this decision." He said.

Ryan squeezed Marissa's hand in his. "You won't your honour. We promise."

---

After leaving the judge's chambers, Ryan and Marissa told Emily what was happening. She didn't really understand why they were so happy because that is what she had assumed was happening all along. Marissa gave Emily a cuddle while they made plans for returning to LA. Emily was excited about going on her first plane trip.

Sue and Charlotte were talking and Ryan went to speak to them. "I just wanted to thank you both for helping us." Ryan said.

"It was no problem at all." Sue said. "I'm just pleased that it all turned out for the best. I have to tell you I was a bit worried there for a while." She added.

"You and me both." Ryan assured her and turned to Charlotte. "And thank you. I have to admit that I wasn't sure what to expect when you walked in the door." Ryan admitted.

"Yeah well." She said and waited until Sue had turned to speak with Marissa and then added. "It took me a while to get over what happened this morning. But I guess ultimately the fact that you didn't try to blackmail me, made me feel pretty guilty about what I'd tried to do." She added quietly. "But don't worry. I didn't lie for you. What I wrote in my report was purely from a professional view. It was the recommendation that she deserved anyhow."

Ryan smiled. "Well thank you anyhow. You don't know just what it means to us." He said.

"I think I probably do. But much as I hate to say it, it really looks like you two have what it takes." She smiled. "And I'm not talking about your physical abilities, although from what Marissa said, and from what I remember, I gather that you certainly don't have any problems in that area." She smiled.

Ryan couldn't help but laugh. It seemed that she did at least have a sense of humour.

Marissa looked up at the sound and made her way to speak with them. "I wanted to thank you for what you did in there." Marissa said.

"It's okay. As I said to Ryan, it was nothing more than the professional report that I should have done anyhow. It's not as if I lied."

"We wouldn't have wanted you to." Marissa assured her.

"I know and that's what made it possible to do. Even after what had happened this morning. I hope you'll forgive me? I have actually realised that I have a problem and I've made an appointment to see a counsellor myself. I figure I'm not going to find another Ryan out there so I'd better work out how to lower my standards." She replied.

Marissa laughed. "Yes you'd better. Because I'm not letting him go." "Ever." She added for good measure.

"So I gathered." Charlotte replied.


	79. The Story Teller

The Story Teller

When they got back to the hospital, it was just left for them to get Emily's final medical discharge and then they would be free to leave. The doctor in charge of her case was tied up with another patient but they were assured that he would be along as soon as he could get away. Emily had fallen asleep in the car on the way back from the family law courts and Ryan had placed her gently in her bed. Marissa looked at Ryan as he watched the small girl sleep peacefully. Her heart swelled with the love she felt for him. She whispered softly too him, wanting not to disturb Emily. "I'll be back in a moment."

Ryan nodded and watched as she left the room.

Marissa was only gone a minute or two and when she returned she took Ryan by the hand and pulled him towards the door. "Come with me a minute." She whispered.

When they got out into the hall, Ryan asked. "Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see." She replied.

Ryan followed her until they reached the small office that they had used the previous day for their interview with Family Services and she pushed him inside, then turned and locked the door.

Marissa turned back and looked at him, trying not to smile, but failing terribly.

"Um. What are we doing here?" Ryan asked, although from the look on her face he was starting to get some idea. But surely not?

"Well, you know this morning we said we would have to make the most of our opportunities?" Marissa asked shyly.

"Yeah." His face broke into a wide grin recalling the conversation.

"Well. Emily was asleep and …" Marissa bent down and slipped off her thong placing it on the chair.

Ryan knew exactly what she was suggesting but even he was surprised. They were in a busy children's ward of a major hospital. "Here?" he asked.

"Yeah. We shouldn't be disturbed. I've already checked that the room wasn't needed … and what's even better … there's no video camera in this one." She added moving towards him and starting to undo his belt. "Although if you like we could move up to the 6th floor and start our own home movie collection?"

Ryan burst out laughing. "I don't think so. I'm definitely a participator not a spectator." He said as he took her into his arms kissing her deeply. He pulled back slightly and added. "I like to DO … not watch."

"Well how about doing me?" Marissa asked as she pushed his pants and boxers to the ground with one movement.

"Thought you'd never ask." Ryan replied as he picked her up and turned to place her on the edge of the table. "But you do know you'll have to be quiet." Ryan added.

"Maybe I should put a sock in my mouth?" Marissa suggested smiling as she said it.

"You wouldn't want to put one of my socks in your mouth." He added. "You'd probably gag." He suggested then lent in to kiss her, tasting her, their tongues dancing together. "How about if I keep your mouth busy? Then you won't get a chance to make too much noise." He suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Marissa replied as he took her lips back between his. She placed her hands on his hips and pulled him towards her and as he moved between her legs she could feel the need for him build within her. She wanted them to be joined together ... to feel him inside her … for them to be one.

She didn't need to wait for long.

---

The trip home was relatively uneventful. After Emily had been cleared to leave, they had said good bye to Sue and she and Keith had managed to get them back to their car without anyone else being any the wiser. Keith was going to drop them off at the airport and then return the hire car for them. They had encountered a few stares and some double takes but mostly people had left them alone. They knew that once word got out about Emily that they would not be able to move around as easily anymore.

Emily had loved her first plane trip. She had been so excited that she had kept having to change seats. She wanted to sit in between them but she also wanted to see out the window and she couldn't do both. So she just seemed to move every 5 minutes. Ryan thought it amusing but Marissa, who had to change seats with her each time, was starting to tire of the game. After yet another move, when Marissa was back beside Ryan, where she preferred to be, she said to Emily. "Okay missy. How about you just sit still for a while and we'll get you something to drink?"

"Yay." Emily replied. "Can I have juice?"

"I think that can be arranged." Marissa replied and turned to look at Ryan.

He was smiling indulgently at his two girls. Thinking to himself, how could things have changed so much in two days? Was it really only Tuesday night? Hard to believe that Sunday morning they were lying together in bed at the house at Newport not having thought about Emily for weeks and yet now it seemed so right to have her there with them. He linked his fingers with Marissa's and held her hand tightly. They were really going to do this.

---

They collected their luggage and made their way to collect Ryan's car. Emily was still excited about all the new adventures. They had imagined that she would fall asleep on the plane but obviously the cat nap she had after they had left the judge's chambers had been enough to revitalise her. Fortunately they had some children's activity packs on board the plane so when she got bored looking at the clouds, she had managed to amuse herself by colouring in. Not very well of course because of her cast but she was getting better and better with it.

They picked up McDonald's at a drive thru on the way back to the apartment but actually getting Emily to eat once they got there was proving to be difficult. She was too excited.

"Well if you're not going to eat, then how about we give you a bath and get you ready for bed." Marissa suggested, knowing that the sooner Emily went to bed the sooner she could have some 'alone time' with Ryan.

They had given her the closest bedroom to their's and Marissa had promised to take her shopping in the morning to buy some pink sheets for her room which had pleased Emily. Rupert Bear was sitting on the bed waiting for her but still Emily didn't want to settle. Marissa was starting to realise that maybe this was not going to be quite as easy as she had imagined. She finally managed to get Emily in to bed but she didn't want Marissa to leave, telling her that she always had a story read to her before she went to sleep. Marissa made a mental note to buy some children's books tomorrow, but that didn't help much with what she could do right now. She couldn't imagine for a moment that Ryan would have any children's books but in desperation she went to ask.

Ryan was trying to catch up on emails in his study when Marissa walked in the door. "I don't suppose that you have any children's story books in here?" she asked hopefully.

Ryan chuckled looking at the few books he did have which were all either architectural or business texts. "Ah. No. I'm afraid not. Having problems?" he asked.

Marissa sighed. "Yeah. She doesn't want to go to sleep unless she has a story read to her."

"Maybe you could just tell her one for tonight?" Ryan suggested.

"Or maybe you could, since you're so good with ideas." Marissa replied.

Ryan smiled. "I don't think I could share my current ideas with a 4 year old." He said as he looked Marissa over. She was looking a little dishevelled after bathing and changing a 4 year old with a broken arm but to him she had never looked more beautiful. The thoughts running through his mind were obvious to her from the sparkle in his eyes. He only had to look at her like that and she melted inside. If she didn't have Emily waiting for her she knew that she would like to join him in making his ideas a reality.

"Well the sooner we get her to sleep, the sooner you can share your ideas with me." Marissa replied running her hands over his shoulders and making him aware that she was eager to find out just what he had in mind.

As her hands moved across his shoulders, Ryan could feel the stiffening in his groin as his manhood came to life. "Okay, we need to get her to sleep pronto." He stood up and moved to the door. "Let's see what I can do."

---

Ryan moved in and sat on the edge of Emily's bed. "So missy. You need a story to go to sleep with. Do you?" he asked as he pushed the hair gently from her eyes.

"Yes." She nodded. "Either my mommy or my daddy always read me a story." She said miserably. Obviously in the time that Marissa had been in with Ryan, Emily had started to think of her family and was missing them. The girl that had been so happy and excited earlier had been replaced. She was now quiet and sad.

Ryan felt his heart strings pull for this little girl. "Well, I'm sure that when mommy gets out of hospital that she will again. And we'll get some books tomorrow. But for tonight, do you think that you could make do with me telling you a fairytale?" he asked.

Emily nodded. "Does it end happily ever after?" she asked quietly. "I don't like sad things." She added.

Ryan thought for a moment and then looked up at Marissa who was standing beside the door.

Marissa was puzzled by the look on his face.

"I hope so." He replied.

"Okay." Emily replied.

Ryan broke eye contact with Marissa and then looked back at Emily and started. "This story is about a boy that had been abandoned by his family and had no where to go."

Emily looked at him wide-eyed. "It doesn't sound like a happy story." She said.

"Ah but it is. You see he meets a beautiful princess at the end of a driveway" Ryan's eyes met with Marissa's, he smiled and then he added "and they fell in love."

"Okay. I think I'll like this story." Emily said. "There's no wicked witches are there?" she asked.

Marissa burst out laughing and Ryan looked up. "Yeah." He said. "There is one. But their love is too strong for her. She tries to pull them apart but it doesn't work." He added.

"Okay. Is there a clown? I like clowns." Emily said.

Ryan burst out laughing thinking about Seth. "There is definitely a clown. Although he's not as funny as he sometimes likes to think he is." Ryan replied looking up at Marissa again to see if she agreed.

She nodded. "And don't forget the princess's best friend falls in love with the clown." Marissa said.

"That's right." Ryan replied. "But why she would do that, will remain a mystery for ever." Ryan added looking at Marissa as she was having trouble stopping from laughing.

"What about a fairy godmother?" Emily asked.

Ryan thought of Sandy and Kirsten. "Yeah, there's a fairy godmother and a fairy godfather as well." He added.

Emily had never heard of a fairy godfather before but she figured that it could be interesting. "What does a fairy godfather do?" she asked.

"Well how about I start the story and then you'll find out?" Ryan suggested.

Emily nodded her head and settled down into bed. "I think I'm going to like this." she said.

Marissa spoke up from the door. "I know that I do." She said.


	80. Nightmares

_Thanks to those of you that are still reading. Life in the Atwood household are about to change. R/R Thanks_

**Nightmares**

When Emily was finally asleep, Ryan and Marissa made their way into their bedroom. Ryan closed the door and locked it. He had to fiddle with the lock for a minute because he realised that it had never been used before and it was stiff.

"Do you think you should do that?" Marissa asked. "What happens if she needs us? Maybe you should leave the door open so we can hear her. She might be scared?" she added.

"If I left the door open, she might be scarred for life if she walks in on us when we're …" Ryan didn't finish, he just looked at Marissa, the lust evident in his eyes.

Marissa couldn't help but smile, wanting him just as much as he wanted her but torn between that and her concern for Emily. "Maybe we could be quick and then we will open the door." She suggested.

"No need." Ryan replied as he walked over to the intercom control on the wall. "I knew I put this in for a reason. Now I just need to make sure I know how to use it." He said.

"Use what?" Marissa asked. "What is it?"

"It's the master control for the security and intercom system and it has a monitor function. All I need to do is set it up so that we can hear her but she can't hear us and we're free and clear." He said as he pressed the final button and turned to her.

Marissa smiled slowly, realising they no longer needed to be in a hurry. "Do you think we could hear that in the bathroom?" she asked hopefully.

"Maybe not over the noise of the shower." Ryan admitted reluctantly.

"Well …" Marissa smiled. "I felt like a bath anyhow." she said as she slowly stripped off her clothes. Knowing that Ryan was watching her every move she moved slower than usual. When she was completely naked she moved towards the bathroom and stopped at the door and turned back to him. "Care to join me?"

Ryan took a deep gulp. "I think a bath is just what I need." he replied.

---

It was still pitch black and Ryan was sound asleep when something disturbed him from his slumber. He listened again but heard nothing and so he moved closer to Marissa spooning around her naked body and wondering if rather than going back to sleep, perhaps she wouldn't mind if he was to wake her up for another round. He was just about to try when he heard the noise again and realised it sounded like a whimper and it was coming from … his fuzzy sleep addled brain tried to think and then it came to him … the monitor. As realization set in, he quickly jumped out of bed and pulled on a pair of boxers and made his way to Emily's room.

She was crying softly in to her pillow and Ryan turned on the small lamp beside the bed and picked her up and pulled her in to his arms. "Hey. What's the matter here?" he asked.

Emily continued to sob but put her one good arm around his neck and snuggled in to his bare chest.

"Em. Come on. Tell me what's wrong. I can't fix it if you don't tell me."

Emily sniffled some more. "I had a bad dream." She said.

"Well, that's all it was a dream. You're here with us and everything's all right. Nothing can hurt you."

"But … but …" she sniffled some more.

"What?" Ryan asked.

"I keep fremembering the crash." She said. "And Grace …" she sniffled some more. "she … I couldn't help her."

Ryan thought his heart would break. Why did life have to be so unfair? He wanted to change the subject but he knew that Charlotte had said that Emily needed to be able to talk about it. Apparently up until now, Charlotte hadn't been able to get Emily to talk about the accident at all. But she had warned them that when Emily did start that they needed to listen and just try to answer truthfully but reassure her at the same time. It had sounded easy when Charlotte had said it but now Ryan was wondering just what he should say. He knew it was good that she was finally starting to open up. It meant that she was feeling comfortable with them, but it still didn't help him to know what the right thing to say was.

"There was nothing that you could have done." He said holding her to him. "It was just a terrible accident." Ryan assured her.

"It hurts so much when I think about her and Daddy." Emily said still holding tightly on to Ryan. "I don't want to think about them cause it hurts but I keep fremembering anyhow." She looked at Ryan, her eyes huge in the dim light.

"I know. But you know what I think the best thing to do is? Every time you think about them, instead of thinking about the accident, what you need to do is think about a good time that you spent with them. Try to think of a happy memory. It might be hard at first but each time you do it, it will get a little easier." He suggested.

Emily looked at him trying to understand.

"What's something that you liked to do with Daddy and Grace?" Ryan asked.

Emily thought for a minute and then replied "Go to the swings in the park." Emily said sadly, thinking to herself that it would never happen again.

"And did you have a good time when you did that?" Ryan asked.

Emily nodded.

"Well what you need to do is try to remember those times, when you were happy. I hope you don't ever forget your Daddy or Grace. They were special people and they loved you very much. But what you need to do is try to concentrate on the happy times you spent with them. It will be hard at first, but it will get easier and easier, I promise." Ryan assured her.

"We used to have fun at Christmas" Emily said "and I freemember one day in summer we went and had a picnic at the beach and Daddy built me a big sandcastle and Grace crawled over the top of it and Daddy tickled her and he had to start my sandcastle all over again. And then Mommy poured a bucket of water on him and he got all sandy." Emily told Ryan a smile slowly emerging on her face as she remembered happier times with her family.

He returned her smile. "See … it doesn't hurt so much to think about them, if you're remembering happy times, does it?" Ryan asked.

Grace nodded.

"Do you think you could go back to sleep now? Just think about those happy times and see how you go." Ryan suggested. "I'll be just down the hall."

"Can I sleep with you?" Emily asked, her eyes like orbs in the dim light.

Ryan thought about his bed with a naked Marissa in it and wondered how he could possibly explain that to Emily when from the door Marissa spoke softly. "I think that would be okay just this once."

Ryan looked up to see Marissa standing there. He didn't know how long she had been standing there but she must have heard them and come to see what was going on. She had thrown on one of his t-shirts and as she stood there in the soft glow of the lamp with her bed hair and long tanned legs he re-thought the idea of having a small child in his bed.

Marissa watched as Ryan looked her over. She loved the way he could undress her with his eyes. The naked desire in them so obvious she felt herself blush. "I can't blame her for wanting to sleep with you. I do." She smiled. "It seems your attraction works on females of all ages." She said, thinking back to Edna in Miami who had also made it blatantly obvious just how attractive she found Ryan.

Ryan smiled knowing that he had lost this one. "Okay Missy." He picked up Emily in his arms. "Just for tonight. But we're not going to make a habit out of this." He said as he moved to the door. Marissa turned off the lamp and followed down the hall looping her thumb in the waistband of Ryan's boxers as they made their way back to their bedroom.


	81. The Joys of Children

_So for whatever reason I like this next bit so I thought I'd give you a second post today. Enjoy !_

**The Joys of Children**

It was early Wednesday morning and Ryan woke yet again as Emily rolled over and kicked him in the balls … yet again. He couldn't help but let out a groan as he tried to move … yet again … and reposition himself out of kicking range.

Marissa propped herself up on her elbow and looked over at him, careful to not disturb the sleeping child between them. "Are you right over there?" she whispered.

"I'm not sure." He grimaced. "Were you planning on us ever having any children? Because another night like that and it may be impossible. Her feet are perfectly aligned to cause maximum damage." He replied trying to gently massage his tender spots.

Marissa started to smile and a quick reply was forming when all of a sudden she stopped short as she realised that she still hadn't started her period. With all of the drama with Emily she had completely forgotten about it but it now came flooding back. Maybe she already was pregnant? And then what would they do?

Ryan watched the smile on her face begin, only to be replaced by a frown. He didn't understand. "Ris what's wrong?" he asked quietly.

"Um. Nothing." She replied and moved to get out of the bed. "I'm just going to go and put on some coffee." She replied turning her back to him and moving from the room quickly and quietly.

Ryan laid there for a moment trying to remember exactly what he had said; wondering what had caused Marissa's smile to disappear so suddenly and the look of worry to take its place. He had asked her about having children? But surely she knew that he was just joking. He wasn't going to put any pressure on her to have children before she was ready. And hey they were having a great time just practising, so who was he to complain? The practice had been amazing and plentiful. As Ryan thought again, smiling to himself about how they had been making up for lost time, suddenly the pieces seemed to fit as realisation came to mind.

He thought back to when Marissa had arrived in LA and then started to count the weeks. The first weekend they had been at the house at Newport. A huge smile appeared on his face as he remembered exactly what they had gotten up to that weekend. Rediscovering one another physically had been amazing. He'd lost count of the number of times and places they'd done it. Then, the next weekend Julie had been there. Enough said. Then Miami, then this last weekend they had dinner with J.B. and ended up in San Fran. That meant that they had been going at it for more than 4 weeks. Straight … with no let ups. Rarely more than a few hours went by without some action so …. that meant …. he realised why she was concerned. But if that meant … if she was … would it be that bad? He could barely contain his excitement. But from the look on her face when she'd got up, the feeling wasn't mutual. He needed to talk to her. He looked at Emily, now sleeping peacefully and he moved quietly out of the bed to go and talk with Marissa.

---

Marissa was in the kitchen. Her hands were busy going through the motions of putting on a pot of coffee but her brain was buzzing with the thought that she may be pregnant and what the implications were. What would she do if she was? She loved Ryan. But … She still had so much to sort out with her life. As if it wasn't complicated enough before and now they had Emily to add to the equation. Add to that a baby as well? She ran the idea over and over in her mind and kept coming up with the same answer.

---

Ryan found her in the kitchen standing looking at the coffee machine watching the drops of black as they made their way into the pot. He was pretty sure that she wasn't that intent on the coffee and that it was just something to look at while her mind whizzed about, contemplating the possibilities.

"Hey." He said quietly as he moved behind her and wrapped her in his arms.

"Hey." She returned, snuggling in to his warm body.

"I think we need to talk." Ryan said.

Marissa turned in his arms to look him in the eyes, concern evident. "What about?" she asked.

"Well." Ryan wasn't sure where to start. If she was pregnant and didn't want to be then what would he do? What would they do? Correction, what would she do? He realised that much as he wanted to have some say in all of this, really the decision would ultimately be up to Marissa. But first he had to know if she was pregnant or not? "Um. I was just wondering if you have … or should have … or" he stopped he didn't know quite how to ask. He started again. "Since we've been together." He looked up at her looking for some acknowledgment from her that she knew what he was talking about. "You know together, together." he said still struggling to get his message across.

Marissa looked blankly at him. She thought she knew what he was getting at but he was so adorably embarrassed about talking about it that there was no way that she was going to help. She was enjoying her self and his discomfit just too much.

Ryan started again. He was going to have to be more direct. She didn't seem to know what he was talking about. He took a deep breathe. "We've been doing 'it' for more than 4 weeks straight. Shouldn't we have had to take a break by now?" he asked.

Marissa threw the question back at him. "What do you mean 'it'?" She asked trying to keep a straight face but failing miserably.

Ryan realised from the smile on her face that she knew exactly what he was talking about and she was just watching him suffer. But the important thing was that she was smiling and that had to be good.

"You know what I mean very well." He replied. "And you also know that I'm not very good with words. But I'd be more than happy to show you what I mean by 'it' as soon as you've answered my question."

"What was the question again?" Marissa asked as she turned back to the coffee machine and filled the two waiting mugs with coffee. As she did so she moved her hips against Ryan grinding in to him and almost causing him to completely forget about what they were talking about. His brain wanted to focus on other things … like her.

He struggled to keep is mind on the topic at hand and then burst out. "Shouldn't your period have started by now?"

Marissa hesitated and then nodded. "Yeah. I think so." She turned back to him and smiled.

"And? " Ryan questioned.

Marissa shrugged. "It hasn't."

"Do you think you're pregnant?" he asked unable to keep the smile from his face. The thought of creating a life with her was one of best things he could imagine.

Marissa couldn't help but return his smile. He was like a small boy on Christmas morning excited about the surprises that the day might bring. "I don't honestly know. I'm usually pretty regular so it's a bit odd. And I haven't missed taking my pill or anything. But then I guess it's not 100 safe. So … I suppose I could be. But, I figure it's probably just the stress of everything. Between Jake and my Mom and now Emily. It's probably just a bit of a hiccup." She replied.

"But you could be?" Ryan suggested, unable to keep the hope out of his voice.

"Maybe." She shrugged and looked at him coyly.

"And if you were … we were … what would you do?" Ryan asked.

"If you'd asked me any time up to about 10 minutes ago, I would have told you I didn't know." she replied.

"And know?" Ryan asked holding his breathe.

"Well … when I got out of bed, I came out here to try to think about it. I had realised on Sunday that I was late but then with everything with Emily, I'd just forgotten all about it. When you mentioned us having children it all came back to me." Marissa said.

"And?" Ryan asked desperately needing to know how she now felt about the idea.

"Well. I can't deny that the idea scared the bejesus out of me." Marissa said and looked up at Ryan noticing the smile fade from his face. "At first." She added.

"And now?" he asked.

"Well … I had been wanting to be in control of my life. Sort out my contracts. Sort out a new career so I could maintain my independence. Sort out how I could move my life so that we could be together … everything. But it doesn't seem as if that's on the cards for me. I have spent the last few years being in control and I've never been more miserable. I was just going through the motions. Now I'm here with you. And I've never been happier. I've been earning money doing something that I have no idea what I'm doing. As of yesterday, we're caring for a 4 year old that we barely know and I have no idea what I'm doing there as well. But somehow or other … being around you … I just figure that everything will work out." She shrugged. "As long as we're together, we'll cope. And if that means that we have a baby on the way then somehow we'll manage. It was going to happen sooner or later. It will just be sooner. It seems that the less control I have over my life, the happier I've become anyhow." She added as he took her in his arms.

Holding her close he reassured her. "We will work it all out as long as we stick together." And then asked. "So when do we know for sure?"

She smiled. "Well … I was thinking about that too. I'm scared that someone will notice me if I go and buy a home pregnancy test kit. And then it could end up all over the tabloids and gossip mags so …." She looked at him.

Ryan took in her unspoken suggestion. "And you don't think that they'll notice if I do?" Ryan asked.

"Good point." Marissa shrugged. "So I guess that means that I'll have to see if Summer would get one for me."

Ryan sighed deeply.

Marissa added. "Yeah. I know. It means that we are going to have to put up with all the wise cracks from Seth. But I can't think of any other way; unless of course you want to ask Annabel to get one for you?"

Ryan shook his head. "Oh no. I don't think that is a very good idea. We'd be better off sticking with Summer. But you're right, Seth will have all the 'good swimmer' and 'one that got away' jokes ready for us. But, I'll just have to learn how to toughen my hide against him."

Marissa smiled and moved her hands inside his boxers to cup her hands over his bare buttocks. "I like your hide just how it is." She said as she pulled him towards her rubbing his quickly firming manhood against her mound. She turned her back towards him, pretending to be interested in the mugs of coffee and continued to grind herself against him feeling his growing erection against her.

Ryan smiled moving himself against her as his hands found their way under his t-shirt that she was wearing. She had not stopped to put anything on underneath and so he had free range over her whole body. His hands started up her hips and then moved to her breasts, cupping them and then tweaking the nipples between his fingertips as his lips found their way to her neck. As her breathing caught in her throat he moved his right hand down over her hips, across her taut flat stomach and then between her legs and to her sensitive bud. He stroked her and he could feel her move herself against him as she became more and more excited; she parted her legs to give his fingers better access and she continued to move her hips against him as he plunged his fingers into her hot moist core. Marissa gasped as her breathing became ragged.

Marissa slipped her hand behind her and between them to push his boxers down exposing his hardness.

Ryan pulled back. "Um. Do you think we should be starting this?"

"Why not? Do you think you might get me pregnant?" she panted, talking becoming more and more difficult.

"Good point." He gasped. "But how, where?" he asked, having trouble focusing on anything but Marissa.

"Here, now." Marissa gasped as she pulled the t-shirt up and exposed herself below the waist. She bent over the kitchen bench and lent down on her left elbow, while reaching behind with her right hand to guide Ryan's hardness into her core.

"But Emily?" Ryan said with his last vestige of sanity.

"Asleep." Marissa gasped. "Now Ryan. Now!"

Ryan needed no further encouragement. He placed his hands on Marissa's hips and thrust in to her. Her moist hotness encompassing him as he started to move within her. Ryan thrust slowly and deeply, the feeling of her completely over whelming him. He was trying to keep control, wanting to send Marissa over the edge before he would let himself go. She felt so good as he thrust into her. Over and over again getting faster and faster as he felt the two of them getting closer to their goal.

Marissa was in seventh heaven. She was so close. The feeling of Ryan inside her almost more than she could bare when she heard ….

"Wyan …where are you?" coming from the hall.

Ryan immediately withdrew and tried to pull his boxers over his engorged manhood. Coated in Marissa's juices it was painfully throbbing as he tried to push it down, feeling like he was about to break it off.

Marissa pulled the t-shirt back down but still hadn't moved. "I was so close." she panted, the regret evident in her voice.

"I know." He replied. "Me too … But you have to go to her." He added.

"Why me?" Marissa asked her knees still weak. She wasn't sure if they would actually hold her weight as she tried to come back down on the wrong side of the peak she had been climbing.

"Because." Ryan replied. "What would she make of this?" he replied as he showed her the rock hard tent pole that he was trying to cover up.

Marissa looked over realising that he was probably in an even worse state than she was. "Okay but you owe me." she replied as she made her way gingerly towards the hall. "I'll take her to her room to get changed while you sneak back into our bedroom."

Ryan nodded. "I'll be the one taking a long cold shower." He replied resignedly.

"And I'm after you." Marissa replied. She knew they'd look back and think this was humorous but for right now ……

_R/R Thanks_


	82. The shopping trip

**The shopping trip**

After breakfast, Ryan made his way to work. Much as he wanted to stay home and go shopping with 'his girls' he knew that he had to get to work. Because he had spent the last 2 days in San Francisco, Annabel had rescheduled all of his meetings from the Monday and Tuesday and now he would be hard pushed to find time for even a coffee in the busy day ahead. But the sooner he got there and got started the better. On the way there, he found it difficult to think about anything vaguely work related. All that was on his mind was the fact that there was a possibility that Marissa was pregnant. He couldn't take the smile off his face.

---

After Ryan had left, Marissa and Emily had spent some time unpacking her bag and finding homes for her belongings in her new bedroom. They made a list of things to buy while they were out shopping.

Pink sheets were at the top of the list as Emily had assured Marissa that she slept better in pink sheets. After what had happened that morning, Marissa was all for anything that would make Emily sleep better. And she knew that Ryan would agree. She smiled as she thought back to the look on his face as he stood there holding himself obviously in pain. Hopefully they would be able to reconvene their 'meeting' tonight.

Next on the list were story books. Emily had a few favourites so they were there plus Marissa thought she would get a couple of her own old favourites as well. She had loved Ryan's story from last night but somehow she didn't imagine that he would want to do it every night.

Marissa also decided she would purchase a few children's DVD's and that they would have a wander through the toy department and find some things to help keep Emily amused when Marissa was busy. A few more clothes, because as Marissa assured Emily, 'a woman can never have too many' and their list was complete.

---

Marissa and Emily were having a great time. They had bought new sheets and matching pink towels as well. And they'd spent a lot of time making their selections in the book store. It seemed that the best way to decide if a book was any good was to read it first. The visit to the toy store was next. They picked up a few things and Marissa assured Emily that they would be back again with Ryan because he didn't want to miss out on all the fun. They would go shopping again on the weekend with him. Marissa laughed at Emily's very obvious attempts to manipulate her. And mostly she was happy to be manipulated.

Marissa had noticed a couple of photographers following her but she figured that was to be expected. As long as they kept their distance then she could cope. Managing a whole day without some attention was probably more than she could hope for. After dropping another load of purchases back at the car, they stopped for a drink before heading off to look at some clothes. They sat down with their milk shakes and Marissa was helping Emily to bend her straw when one of the paparazzi approached them and asked. "Would you mind telling us who the child is?"

Marissa was startled and turned to look at the thirty something man beside her. "It's none of your business." She turned to Emily. "Come on Em. We have to go."

"But I haven't finished my drink." Emily replied.

"Just leave it. I'll get you another one later." Marissa stated wanting to put some space between them and the guy who had now sat down at the adjoining table and was taking way too much interest.

"But …" Emily replied keen to finish her drink.

"Now! Emily." Marissa replied and pushed the shake in to the centre of the table and took Emily by the hand, pulling her away from the table.

Emily reluctantly followed, looking back at the abandoned milkshake and wondering why they had to leave.

Marissa picked up Emily and they made their way towards the car park. Marissa thought that they would need to cut their trip short and go straight home but when she looked behind her, it seemed that they had not been followed. She started to relax a little and turned back again. Searching the faces, she could not see anyone familiar and so she stopped to apologise to Emily. "I'm sorry about that. I'll get you another shake."

Emily looked up. "It's okay. But can we go and get my new clothes now?" she asked.

Marissa looked around her once again. She didn't want to disappoint Emily but she didn't want to have to deal with the paparazzi either. There didn't seem to be anyone paying them any more than passing interest, so she nodded and headed off into the Gap Kids store. They selected a few items and after Emily had tried them on, Marissa paid for them and they made their way to the door only to be confronted by the same man again, along with about 15 of his 'friends'. Obviously he had called for support.

Marissa tried to just put her head down and walk through them but Emily started to cry. They wouldn't move and were taking photos of Emily at point blank range; the flashes burning the small child's eyes. One of the men actually went to grab Emily. Marissa didn't know if he was trying to help or what, but she wasn't taking any chances. Marissa bent to pick Emily up dropping her parcels as she did so but she didn't care. Voice recorders were being thrust in her face as they all seemed to be asking who Emily was and what was she doing with Marissa.

Marissa started to panic as she pushed her way towards the exit to the car park but there were too many of them. She glanced to her left and quickly pushed through the door of the disabled bathroom and quickly locked the door. She placed Emily down on the floor as the small child cried, obviously scared and upset by all the attention. Marissa could hear the crowd outside the door and she reached for her phone and quickly dialled Ryan's number.

---

"Good afternoon Atwood Industries. Annabel speaking." Came the pleasant greeting.

"Annabel, I need Ryan." Marissa said shortly.

"I'm sorry Marissa. Ryan's in a meeting at the moment. I can get him to give you a call when he's finished, although he's with some interstate …"

"I don't care what he's doing just get him." Marissa stressed.

"But he's with some important …" Annabel started to say only to be cut off again.

"If you still want to have a job tomorrow … GET RYAN NOW !" Marissa instructed, any semblance of manners deserting her as she could hear the commotion outside the door over the top of Emily's sobs.

"CERTAINLY ! I'll try." Annabel replied hoping that Ryan would refuse to take the call and tell her where to go.

Annabel knocked softly on the door of the conference room and opened it. "Um. Ryan. I'm sorry to disturb you. But it seems that Marissa wants to talk to you." She said.

Ryan frowned. Marissa knew how busy he expected to be today. She wouldn't have called unless it was important. "Okay." He said to Annabel and then turned to address the other people in the room. "If you could just excuse me a minute, I'll be right back." He said as he made his way out the door and into his office. Picking up the phone he said "Ris. What is it?" he could hear Emily crying and was immediately concerned that she was ill or something.

"Ryan." Marissa whimpered. She desperately wanted to break down but she knew she couldn't do that. But just the sound of his voice made her want to give in and let him take care of everything.

Ryan could hear the panic in her voice. "Ris What is it? What's going on? Where are you? Are you okay? Is Emily okay?"

Marissa took a deep breath. "We're locked in the disabled bathroom at the mall. There's a heap of paparazzi outside the door and I tried to get Emily through them but they wouldn't move. They were asking her who she was and one of them tried to pick her up and …"

"Just sit tight. I'll be right there. Don't unlock the door for anyone but me. Okay?" he said trying to reassure her. "I won't be long." Ryan said replacing the phone and grabbing his keys and phone and making his way out the door heading for the lifts. As he walked passed Annabel he said. "Get Steve from security to meet me at my car. NOW."

"B…Bu..But what about you're meeting?" Annabel asked.

"RESCEDULE!" Ryan called out over his shoulder as he disappeared behind the closing lift doors.

---

On the way to the mall, Steve called ahead to their security section and by the time he and Ryan arrived they had managed to get the unruly crowd under control. The numbers had grown with interested bystanders wanting to know what the commotion was all about. But at least there was some semblance of order. Although none of the paparazzi were leaving. They had all realised that they were now going to get a photo of Ryan, Marissa and the child. It would be worth even more money on the market.

Ryan made his way through the crowd with the help of the security men and knocked on the door. "Ris? It's me." he said.

"Ryan?" she asked wanting confirmation.

"Yeah. It's okay. I've got Steve with me and some of the mall's security guards. If you just unlock the door, we'll get you both out of here." He assured her as he watched the lock turn and then he opened the door and slipped inside telling Steve as he went. "Just give us a minute."

He closed the door behind him and was instantly attacked by 2 females. He pulled them both into his arms and held them as their racing hearts started to return to normal. "How's my girls? Had enough excitement for one day?"

Marissa looked at him and tried to smile. "I think I've had enough for the year."

"Me too." Emily added nodding her head.

"Well how about I take you both home?" he suggested.

"Sounds good. But are they all still out there?" Marissa asked.

"Yeah. But the Mall security guards are all there and I brought Steve with me as well. There won't be a problem. I'll drive you home and Steve can take my car. Now, is your car far from here?"

"No. I was trying to get to it when it all got too much and we headed in here. I was just looking for anywhere with a lock so I could keep them away."

"You did well. Now, let's get out of here." He said as he picked up Emily in one arm and put the other around Marissa's shoulders. "Okay. Let's go."


	83. The Relocation

**The relocation**

After they returned home, Ryan and Marissa both tried to help settle Emily. She was still shaken up and they couldn't really blame her. After all, it had shaken up Marissa and she was an adult who should have been used to all the attention by now. But she hadn't expected anything like that.

Ryan asked Emily to model her new clothes, anything to distract her from what had happened. Fortunately, they had been returned to them by one of the security guards after Marissa had dropped them. Emily looked adorable. Marissa had brushed her blonde curls until they shone and had twirled them up on top of her head and Emily felt very grown up. She strutted her stuff like a pro. And Ryan couldn't help but laugh at her antics.

Marissa watched from the side as Emily worked her magic on Ryan. Marissa had fallen for the little girl when she had first met her in San Francisco, so she knew just how easy it was. And from the looks of things, Ryan had fallen for her too, hook, line and sinker. She watched the two of them, as Ryan grabbed Emily and started to tickle her. She could be Ryan's daughter from the colour of her hair; although her brown eyes didn't quite fit. Marissa held her hand to her stomach. Was it possible that there was a little blue eyed blonde growing inside her right now? She smiled at the thought. With all the commotion today she hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Summer about getting a test for her but she would do it soon.

Seth and Summer were coming for the usual Wednesday night dinner and to meet Emily so she would find the opportunity then.

---

Dinner went well. It was the first time since Seth and Summer had gotten engaged, that Ryan and Marissa had managed to have a meal with them where anything other than 'The Wedding' was discussed. All the attention seemed to be focused on Emily. She had a way of making that happen. Summer had brought along the clothes that she had purchased for Emily, so of course another modelling show was in order. Emily couldn't help but laugh at Seth. She'd never met anyone quite like him. Even when he wasn't trying to be funny she would laugh at him. Which Seth didn't understand at all but no one else thought too unusual.

Emily liked her new friends and when it was time for bed she even decided that she wanted Summer to read her bedtime story. Summer was honoured; especially since it seemed to tick Seth off that he wasn't the chosen one and she quickly made her way in to Emily's room, book in hand.

Marissa and Ryan were cleaning up in the kitchen together and Seth was being Seth and just watching. Usually, even the thought of cleaning up would have had him leave to go home but since he had to wait for Summer he decided to stand there and tease both Ryan and Marissa about their new 'family'. It seemed that this situation had opened up a whole new topic of jokes for him and he went on and on about how they were going to have to change their bedroom behaviour now that they had a small child under their roof. A few of his jokes were a little too close to home after the events of the morning and neither Ryan nor Marissa thought them funny at all. Maybe after they'd gotten rid of their guests and managed some 'alone' time then they might be able to see the humour in them but not right now. Marissa decided that there was no way that she could ask Summer to get the home pregnancy test for her. If Seth found out, then things would be unbearable. She decided to wait until they went to Newport on the weekend and she would ask Kirsten for her help. At least she would be able to count on Kirsten to be discrete.

---

Once Emily was asleep, Ryan and Marissa couldn't get rid of their friends fast enough. They wanted … no … needed … some 'alone' time together. Ever since Emily's 'interruption' that morning, they'd been just waiting for the opportunity to get back to finishing what they'd started. They almost pushed Seth and Summer out the door as soon as they could. Once Ryan closed the door behind them he turned to Marissa; the sense of anticipation in the room electric. "So" a sensual smile made its way across his face. "... It's been a while." He said. "Since we were …"

"… Alone." Marissa finished for him and smiled; transported back to their conversation in Sandy's car after they had saved Trey from the drug charge. It had been the start of them getting back together again.

Ryan grinned … so she did remember. "Yeah. Without … you know … something ..."

"Or someone." She added.

"I guess we can do whatever we want." Ryan finished.

"Well what do you want to do?" Marissa asked.

Ryan smiled and stared deeply into her eyes, the lust evident and then silently took her hand and gently led her to their bedroom. Stopping to lock the door and set the room monitor, he turned back to her and slowly undressed her; stopping after the removal of each garment to kiss the newly exposed skin. When she was completely naked, Marissa returned the favour. They touched, stroked and kissed one another; trying to make up for the hurried attempt of the morning that had left them both so unfulfilled.

Moving on to the bed, they continued their exploration of each others bodies until neither could take much more. Marissa moved underneath Ryan and pulled him on top of her, spreading her legs as she waited for him to take her silent invitation.

Ryan looked in to her eyes, seeing his own need and want mirrored there and he positioned himself and thrust deeply in to her. Marissa hooked her legs around him wanting to keep him deep within her and then he started to move as their lust threatened to overcome them. Ryan moved faster and faster as Marissa writhed beneath him feeling the climax they both yearned for, getting closer and closer and then …

A scream came over the intercom.

"Oh god no." Marissa said as Ryan immediately withdrew.

He was panting quickly but trying to pull on boxers as he tried to focus his eyes that were completely dazed with passion. "I know" he said. Trying to will away his erection as he buried his head in his hands.

"It's desperate." Marissa added as she grabbed Ryan's shirt, trying to put it on with fumbling hands as she made her way towards Emily's room. Her legs were barely cooperating as her mind told them to move one foot in front of the other; the undenied want inside her causing a physical ache.

A few moments later, as soon as Ryan felt he could possibly function close to normally, he followed behind.

---

It turned out that Emily had been having a nightmare about the events of the day and try as they might nothing seemed to be able to settle her. As it got later and later, Ryan and Marissa finally gave in and allowed her to come and sleep with them again. At least they would be able to get some sleep tonight.

They obviously weren't going to be 'getting' anything else ….

---

Unfortunately, Emily awoke first the next morning so there was no chance for any 'alone time' at all. Ryan looked over at Marissa, lying with her hair fanned out across the pillow and the frustration he felt was like bile in his mouth. He was so near to her…. and yet so far from what he wanted. They both wanted one another but there didn't seem to be any chance of them being able to pull it off in the near future. Ryan thought the only chance he would have of pulling anything off was himself in the shower while getting ready for work and he probably would. The last time he had thought about doing that, was the first night that he and Marissa had gone out and they had ended up at Newport because the paparazzi were after them. Since then there had been no need. Marissa had satisfied his every desire. Until now. Now he was just bruised and battered from two small feet that seemed to like to use his private parts for soccer practice. He slid out of bed as Emily bounced up and down. Her distress of the previous evening seemingly lost completely.

Ryan put on a pot of coffee and slipped a bagel into the toaster and turned on the television to watch the news as Marissa made her way in to the kitchen. She moved into his arms as he asked. "Where's Emily?"

"Just gone to put Rupert back in her room. She thought he still looked tired so she was going to put him back to bed." Marissa replied as she turned to look at the television screen. The vision of the small blonde head, capturing her interest. "Ryan look."

Ryan was happy looking at Marissa but he followed her gaze and watched as vision of Marissa and Emily being accosted by the press appeared on the screen. He picked up the remote and turned up the volume.

"The identity of the small child is still unknown. As reported earlier, Ryan Atwood and Marissa Cooper spent the last couple of days visiting The Bay Area Hospital in San Francisco. It is known to be a leading hospital in the treatment of infertility problems and even though they have only been together for a short time, it had been speculated that perhaps one of the couple may have problems in that area and was seeking assistance before they went further with their relationship. But with the arrival of this small child on the scene, the questions have grown. It has been suggested that they had no success and have decided to adopt. Or since it is now known that they were high school sweethearts, perhaps she is their child from an earlier liaison who was adopted out. Whatever the reason, we will continue to try to find out for you …" Ryan picked up the remote and turned off the TV.

"Why won't they just leave us alone?" Marissa asked. "It doesn't sound like they are about to give up."

Ryan shook his head and then moved towards his study. "I'll be back in a minute. I've just got to make a couple of calls."

Marissa watched his retreating form and was about to follow but stopped as Emily waltzed into the kitchen bright as a button. Marissa couldn't help but feel a little jealous as it was obvious that at least some one had had a good night's sleep curled up with Ryan … pity it wasn't her.

---

Ryan emerged from his study a short time later to find Emily sitting at the bench eating Cheerio's and watching cartoons. Marissa was unstacking the dishwasher from last night.

"Okay. So I have a plan to run by you." Ryan said.

Marissa looked up, surprised. "A plan? A plan for what?" she asked.

"Well. I can't take anymore time off work just right now. I'm holding up all sorts of projects because I haven't been around to give final approvals. But … I'm not prepared to take the risk of something like yesterday happening again. So … if it's okay with you … I've just employed Keith as your personal security guard. Well yours and Emily's." Ryan looked at the confused look on Marissa face. "And before you say no, I had already been thinking about it before this happened. I spoke with him about it before we left San Francisco and he asked if he could have until the end of the week to think about it. But after yesterday's events, I just rang him and told him I needed an answer. Turns out he had seen the report too and was about to call me."

"And." Marissa urged him to continue.

"He said he'd love to. But … then comes the next problem … He can't get down here until next Monday. He has spoken to the hospital and the earliest they can let him go is Friday. Then he'll pack up on Saturday and drive down Sunday."

"Well that's okay, you'll be around on the weekend. Won't you?" Marissa asked.

"Yeah. But I think you should go down to Newport with Emily. At least there you are in a gated community and I've spoken to Sandy, and he and Kirsten will be able to help you when I'm not around. They are looking forward to meeting Emily any how."

"But why couldn't we just stay here?" Marissa asked.

"What. Locked up in the tower like the princess in a fairytale? That's not a healthy environment for a child ... or for a possible mum to be." He added, smiling as he did. "Emily needs to be able to go outside and play in the sunshine and fresh air. You can't do that here but you can at Newport. You can visit the playground at the park … go for walks on the private beach …. " Ryan suggested.

"But what about you?" Marissa asked.

"I'll just drive down tonight. Sure it takes a bit longer but the trip will be worth it to see my two favourite girls." He moved closer and whispered in Marissa's ear. "Who knows? Maybe my three favourite girls." He added as he ran his fingers lightly over her stomach.

Marissa couldn't help but smile as she placed her hand over the top of his, holding it still on her stomach. "When do you expect this all to happen?" Marissa asked.

"Well since I don't have a car because Steve drove mine back to work yesterday when I came home with you. I was sort of hoping that you might give me a lift to work and you could just continue on down then. I've already rung Rosa and asked her to get in some supplies."

Marissa smiled. "You really are a man of action once you decide on something. Aren't you?" she said.

"A man of action who's not seeing much action, unfortunately." Ryan replied.

Marissa kissed him. "Tonight. I'll have her so tired out from the beach and the fresh air, she'll sleep like a log."

"Can't wait." Ryan replied kissing her deeply but then reluctantly pulling back. "But come on. We'd better get moving before I forget there's a small child here and try to take you in the kitchen again. Don't think for a minute that I have forgotten that we have unfinished business here in this room."

"I wouldn't let you." Marissa replied. "Are you sure we need to go to the trouble of having a guard all of our own?"

"I think it's for the best. And Keith is great. He's more like a friend. He won't be over bearing or super authoritive. He's used to being around children having worked a lot in the children's ward. That's why I thought he would be a good choice. I could have used Steve or one of the other guys from the office but they aren't used to kids."

"Okay. Much as I rather not, I guess after yesterday it does make sense. Give me 15 minutes to pack our things and we'll drop you at work on the way."

_R/R Thanks._


	84. Making the best of it

_Thanks to the few loyal readers who are taking the time to let me know that they are still enjoying this. I'm hope that you stick with me._

**Making the be****st of it**

When Ryan got in to work, he tried to concentrate on what needed to be done. It wasn't easy, as visions of a very pregnant Marissa kept filling his mind. He couldn't help but be just a little … hell … a lot, excited about the prospect. Even though he came from a totally dysfunctional family, ever since he had fallen in love with Marissa he had imagined them with the total 'Brady Bunch'. Of course he hadn't told her that yet, but maybe, just maybe they were on their way.

He was smiling yet again as he thought about it when Annabel entered his office. "I just thought I'd give you you're updated schedule for the day. I had to reschedule those prospective clients from Seattle to 6pm today and I've organised for the caterers to serve dinner about 8." She said.

"6? But I was hoping to get out of here early." Ryan stated dismayed. "Couldn't we do it earlier?"

"I had trouble getting them to agree to that, after you just walked out on them yesterday. They had other commitments today, no doubt with one of our competitors, and they are returning to Seattle in the morning, so it was tonight or you miss out on the project all together." She said angrily. Ryan seemed to have totally lost the plot as far as work was concerned lately.

Ryan realised that he had a commitment to work as well. He picked up the phone and called Marissa to let her know that he would be late that evening and that they should have dinner without him. After that, he resignedly put his head down and tried to get some work done.

---

Marissa and Emily had had a great day. As Kirsten was tied up for the day with some charity business, Sandy had taken them both out to lunch and then they had gotten ice creams and walked to the end of the pier after which they'd gone for a long walk on the beach. Sandy had indeed gotten just that – 'sandy' – as he and Emily had built a giant sand castle, which they decorated with small shells they had collected on their walk.

Much as Marissa was missing Ryan, she knew that coming to Newport was a good idea. Things were much quieter here and living in a gated community definitely had is perks. Emily had enjoyed herself and except for a couple of double takes from a few people that they had walked passed there had been no other incidents at all. Marissa was disappointed that Ryan hadn't been able to make it to them in time for dinner but she knew that he had been skipping work a lot lately and so obviously he would have to make up for it somewhere along the line but that still didn't stop her missing him.

After she had put Emily to bed, she had a long soak in the bath and then had taken extra care to moisturise herself all over. She had washed her hair and spent a lot of time drying it and getting it just right. She wanted to look her best for when Ryan arrived. She smiled as she realised just how much effort she was putting into it when all she was hoping for, was that he would take her to bed as soon as he saw her. They had some lost time to make up for. When she'd primped and primed as much as she could she curled up in bed and turned on the television to wait for him.

---

Ryan's meeting was going on and on. But it was much too important to just blow off. This was a huge project that would give Atwood Industries a big leg into the market in Seattle that until now he had been unable to break in to. It would create a lot of jobs for a lot of people. But that didn't mean he wasn't disappointed as it got later and later and he realised that his chances of being with Marissa that night were slowly evaporating.

By the time they had all left it was nearly midnight and Ryan debated whether to call Marissa or not. He didn't want to wake her but he was also concerned that she might be wondering where he was so he decided that he would make a quick call just to let her know of his change in plans.

---

Marissa was asleep in front of the TV when the phone rang disturbing her from her slumber. Reaching across to Ryan's side of the bed she picked up the phone. "Hey." She said knowing there was only one person who would be calling at that time of night.

"Hey. I'm sorry to wake you." Came the reply as Marissa's stomach flopped over just from hearing his voice.

"It's fine." She answered groggily. "What time is it? When will you be here?" she asked.

"Well. That's the thing. It's after midnight and I was thinking that maybe I'd just stay here. I have an early meeting at 7 in the morning and if I drive there now, I'll barely have any time with you before I have to turn around and head back. But if I stay here, I can work for a little while longer and try to get a few more things under control. And that way I can maybe get away early tomorrow."

"But where will you sleep?" Marissa asked, disappointed at not seeing him but realising that it did make sense.

"On the sofa here in my office. I've done it before when I've had to pull all-nighters to get projects finished. I even keep a change of clothes here now, just in case." Ryan added.

Marissa nodded and then realising he could not see her she said. "I'll miss you."

Ryan sighed deeply. "I'll miss you too." He replied, amazed at the strength of feeling behind such simple words. "Did you see Kirsten today?" he asked and Marissa instantly knew why or more importantly, what, he was so interested in.

"No. She had some charity meetings or something or other. I thought about asking Sandy to shop for me but I decided against it. I figure I'll probably see Kirsten tomorrow and I can ask her then." Marissa assured him.

"So you still need to?" Ryan asked. "I mean nothing" he searched for the word. "… different … has happened today?"

Marissa smiled at his reluctance to actually say what was on his mind. "If you mean did my period start, then no." she laughed as she heard him let out the breath that he had obviously been holding while he waited for her answer.

"So you still might be?" Ryan asked hopefully.

"Yes. I might. But just remember, if I am, then you're breaking the news to the Nana." Marissa replied.

"The Nana? Why?" Ryan asked.

"Because she was very definite when we were in Miami, that she didn't believe in children before marriage. And there is no way that I want to be the one to tell her that we're doing things out of order."

"Well maybe we'll just have to get married before we tell her?" Ryan suggested.

"With the way that Seth and Summer are going, our child could be at school before we even announce our engagement. How do you think you'll be able to keep it a secret from her for that long?" Marissa asked.

"I think that all agreements with Seth will be null and void if we actually have a child on the way. Maybe that's just another reason to keep my fingers crossed." Ryan said.

Marissa smiled. "Or maybe I should have just kept my legs crossed and we wouldn't be in this predicament." She laughed.

"I think it's a lovely predicament." He added.

"I know." She added as she placed her hand gently on her stomach realising for the first time that she was actually hoping that she was pregnant almost as much as him.

---

"So, did you have a good day?" he asked. He knew that she probably wanted to go back to sleep but he wasn't ready to give up the pleasure of hearing her voice just yet.

"Yeah. We did. Sandy took us to lunch and then we went for a long walk on the beach. Sandy and Emily built a big sand castle." She smiled. "And Sandy was just that by the time he'd finished."

"Was what?" Ryan asked confused.

"Sandy." Marissa replied. "I think Emily put more sand on him than any where else. She's not that good with her left hand yet. But she is improving. She actually managed to feed herself tonight."

"Did she go to sleep okay?" Ryan asked. "You know ... in another new bed … new place." He added.

"Yeah. She was exhausted tonight. She didn't even ask for a story."

"Just my luck." Ryan replied.

"Don't talk about luck. You were going to get 'lucky' if you had been here tonight." Marissa teased.

"Don't say that or I'll forget the sane decision and hop in the car now, even if it's only for a short time."

"Much as I'd like that, I don't want you driving now. You must be so tired; I'd be worried that you'd fall asleep at the wheel. I know you haven't slept well the last couple of nights."

"You're right there. I was thinking we should get Emily a soccer ball. Maybe she could take her kicking reflexes out on it, rather than me. How come you don't get a turn?" he asked.

"It's just that she likes to cuddle up to you." Marissa laughed. "And so do I." she added, her voice dropping to a sexy tone.

Ryan felt a tightening in his groin as he heard her words. His voice deepened to match hers. "I'd like to have you cuddled up to me right now."

"God Ryan." Marissa closed her eyes as she listened to the unspoken suggestion held in his husky voice. "Do you realise how much I want you?"

"Are you in bed?" he asked.

"Uh huh." Marissa replied.

"What are you wearing?" Ryan asked knowing that asking these questions were not going to help him concentrate on work but totally unable to stop himself. The thought of her lying in bed waiting for him …

"One of your wife beaters." She answered huskily.

"And?"

"There's no 'and'. That's all." Marissa replied. "I was expecting you." She explained.

Ryan closed his eyes as visions of her flooded his mind. "What were you expecting me to do?" Ryan asked softly. His voice had gotten even deeper and Marissa could feel herself getting moist at just his tone.

She moved her free hand to push the wife beater aside giving her free access to the now throbbing centre of her womanhood. She couldn't help but touch herself. Her need for him was so intense. "You're making this even harder." Marissa replied. The want for him building within her.

"Don't talk to me about making things harder. Would you like to feel what I've got between my legs?" he tried to smile through the pain of his erection straining to be free.

"I'd love to feel what you've got between your legs … preferably between my legs." She answered.

"Ris." Ryan moaned, the longing evident in the simple word.

"What are you wearing?" she asked.

He was surprised by her question. "Right now, I still have my work clothes on but it looks like I have a tent pole in my pants. I hope the security guard doesn't pop in for a chat, because he'd be in for a shock."

"Well lock the door." She suggested. "And maybe you should grab a few tissues while you're at it."

Ryan smiled. "Are we really going to do this?"

"I think we already are…."


	85. The Letdown

_So just to warn you - I'm not going to continue any further with the phone sex - I'm sure that you can let your imaginations run riot with that one. Anthing that I wrote would probably be only a disappointment. LOL_

_And thanks also to the reviewers that are sticking with me. Someone pointed out that 400 reviews is a bit of a milestone on here so I'd just like to give you all a pat on the back. Thanks!_

_Enjoy!_

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**The Letdown**

Friday came and Ryan was working like a mad man. Annabel wondered what had gotten in to him. He was like a man possessed. Little did she know that he was possessed … by visions of Marissa waiting in bed for him at Newport. Ever since their 'conversation' last night, he had been focused on getting everything done as soon as possible so he could get out of there and down to Newport. Marissa had suggested she would see if Sandy and Kirsten would baby sit for them that evening so they could have some 'alone' time and he wanted to get there as soon as possible. He didn't want to miss out on a single minute of it. What they did last night was …well, pretty amazing really. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of it … but it didn't hold a candle to the real thing.

---

It was 4:30pm by the time he got to Newport. He'd managed to get away early enough to miss most of the weekend traffic and now all he could think about was spending a little time with Emily followed by a lot of time with Marissa. He knew he was smiling like a Cheshire cat but it was, or rather SHE was all he had been able to think about since he had left work. If truth be told it had been in the back of his mind ever since their first 'interruption' on Wednesday morning. He couldn't believe that he was in such a state just because he hadn't HAD Marissa for 3 days. How did he ever manage to last 7 years without her?

He got out of the car as quickly as possible and as he walked inside he was attacked around the legs by a blonde dynamo. "Wyan." Emily said as he bent down and lifted her high into the air. She giggled as he spun her around.

"Hello Missy. How's my girl?" he asked while looking beyond her for Marissa.

"I'm good." Emily replied. "I'm watching Shrek. You can come and watch with me if you want?"

"Maybe a little later. Where's Marissa?" he asked thinking it strange that she hadn't come to greet him.

"Mawissa isn't feeling berry well." She said sadly.

Ryan quickly moved through the house. "Where is she?" he asked.

"She's having a lie down." Emily informed him.

"You go back and finish watching Shrek and I'll go and check on Marissa. Okay?" he suggested.

"Okay." His pint-sized princess replied.

Ryan quickly made his way to the bedroom to find Marissa lying on the bed, her face pale. She was curled up in a foetal position and looked absolutely miserable. He quickly moved to her and felt her forehead wondering if she had a fever. "Ris. What's wrong?" he asked.

Marissa went to open her mouth and then stopped. She couldn't bring herself to say the words. The words that she knew would break his heart. "I ... I …" she hesitated again. She just couldn't bring herself to say it.

Ryan's heart was racing. He couldn't believe how much it hurt him to watch her when she was obviously in pain. He watched as the tears began to form in her eyes. "Marissa. Tell me. What can I do?" he was starting to panic. "I'll get the doctor."

Marissa shook her head. She tried to wipe away the tears before they fell but they were instantly replaced by more. "No need." By now Ryan was sitting on the side of the bed gently rubbing her back. She knew that the pain she was feeling was as much emotional as it was physical. Maybe more. "It's just …"

"Ris. Just what?" Ryan pleaded with her. He felt so helpless. But what could he do if she wouldn't talk to him.

"There's no baby." She said and broke down into a thousand tears; her sobs coming from deep within her.

Ryan picked her up and held her to him; his disappointment hitting him like a brick wall. But he knew this wasn't the time to be thinking about himself. He pressed her tightly to him and stroked her hair.

"I've got terrible cramps and my period has started." She sobbed.

Ryan swallowed deeply trying to suppress his own disappointment. He could deal with that later. "It's okay." He said. "We don't have to be in any hurry." He tried to reassure her, even though he felt just as bad as she did. "It's not as if we have actually been trying."

"But I … you … We …" Marissa started and then broke down into sobs again. The shoulder of his business shirt wet already.

"We?" Ryan queried.

"We … wanted it." Marissa finished.

Ryan smiled as he pulled back and looked into her eyes. He cupped her face with his hands and smoothed her tears away with his thumbs. "And this from the girl who a week ago …" he hesitated "was … what was it … ah yeah … I think it was … the thought of having a baby scared the bejesus out of her?"

Marissa nodded. "I changed my mind. You have that affect on me." she said, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly.

"Well. I'm more than happy to start trying again. We could throw those birth control pills in the trash and then I think our chances would be a lot better." He assured her. "Plus personally, I rather enjoy the trying. The more the better."

Marissa looked at him and smiled. She knew he was disappointed; just as she was and yet he was trying to look at it in a positive way. She was sure it was just to make her feel better. "Well we've go no chance for the next couple of days. And even after that how do you expect us to actually do it? From recent experiences, it would seem to be impossible to actually complete the deed. Unless of course there is some way that what we did last night could work?"

Ryan frowned as he realised the truth of her words. "We really are going to have to work something out, aren't we?"

"Uh huh" Marissa said as she grimaced in pain.

Ryan was concerned. "What can I do for you? There must be something."

"I've got some tablets that will help. But they make me a bit drowsy and I didn't want to take them until you arrived to look after Emily." Marissa replied.

"Well I'm here now so where are they and I'll get them for you." He said.

"In my bag in the bathroom." She replied.

Ryan went and then returned; tablets in hand and with a glass of water. "Why didn't you get Kirsten to come over?"

"Turns out they had some charity dinner on. I guess tonight just wasn't meant to happen for us at all." She replied sadly.

---

Of course, Friday night Emily slept straight through and even slept-in. Ryan and Marissa couldn't believe that her timing seemed to have been designed to cause them the most … discomfit. Emily had managed to give them plenty of uninterrupted time, just when it was 'unsuitable' for them to do what they most desired. Marissa had offered to 'look after' Ryan but he had declined telling her that he would wait until they could both enjoy the experience together. They just both hoped that 'the event' wasn't too far away. Strange to realise that until Emily had arrived they had never felt like they were planning for 'an event'. It had always just been spontaneous. But now … things were different … in ways they had never imagined. They had predicted that they would have to make the most of their opportunities. What they hadn't realised was that the opportunities would come at the most inopportune times. And they certainly hadn't been prepared for the 'interruptions'. That was an agony that nothing had prepared them for.

Saturday, they all spent a lovely day together. After sitting and watching cartoons in the morning, they visited the playground and then after lunch they went for a long walk on the beach. The only problem seemed to be that Emily insisted on walking between Ryan and Marissa so she could hold both their hands when in all truthfulness they both wanted to be able to touch one another. The knowledge that the child that they had both been looking forward to was not going to happen in the near future was still foremost in their minds. They hadn't spoken about it that day but it was as if every touch was their way of recognising the sadness they each felt.

If anyone had been watching this 'family' walking along the beach they would have thought they were doing some kind of impromptu dance as they weaved along the shore. Whenever Emily let go of Ryan or Marissa's hand to pick up a shell or investigate something on the ocean's edge then the unattached person would move to the other side of the group, so that Ryan and Marissa could hold one another. Only to have Emily push back in between them again as soon as she had lost interest in her discovery. When they had returned back to the beach directly in front of Ryan's house, Emily talked Ryan into building her a sand castle and Marissa sat and watched as the two laughed and played, sand flying as Ryan constructed the sand castle of all sand castles. No simple mound of sand for this architect. It was a work of art. All Marissa could think was that Sandy would have been envious if he could have seen it. It was a shame to think that the tide would wash it all away.

They were putting the finishing touches to it when Marissa heard her phone ringing. She dug around in the large beach bag that she had brought with her which was filled with all the necessary things you seemed to have to carry when you moved around with a small child. Sunscreen, hats, a change of clothes, beach towel, juice box, fruit stick; all were pushed aside as she looked for the phone trying to find it before her voicemail cut in. As she laid her hand on it she flicked it open in one motion, pulling it to her ear expecting to hear Summer's complaints about how long it had taken her to answer when all she heard was. "Marissa?"

Marissa felt the blood run from her face as she quickly closed the phone. Why were they calling? There was no way that she would talk to them. She sat gripping the phone as Ryan turned to her. "Who was it?"

"Um … wrong number." Marissa replied. She didn't know why she lied. But she couldn't tell him. They were so happy together (well except for a little sexual frustration). She didn't want to put everything at risk. No. She refused to put it all at risk. It would just have to be her secret.

Ryan looked at her more closely, noticing the pale face. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Actually, I'm not feeling great. I might just go and have a lie down for a while." Marissa added.

"Okay. We'll come with you." Ryan replied as he started to brush the sand off his hands and stand up.

"No. You stay here with Emily. I'll be fine. You just stay and have fun." Marissa said as she stood up and slowly made her way back to the house; her mind in turmoil as she contemplated what the phone call could possibly mean.

---

Ryan had suggested to Marissa that Keith stay in the pool house until things quietened down a little. That way he would always be near if she needed him and Ryan knew that he would feel a little easier at work if he knew that Keith was always close. The only problem was that Ryan hadn't ever let Marissa in to the pool house and he wasn't sure if he wanted to. He was concerned about what she would make of it. But he knew that he needed to get inside and move some things out before Keith arrived so now, while Marissa was lying down was the perfect opportunity.

---

Shortly after Marissa had left the beach to lie down, Ryan collected Emily and they made their way back to the house. After cleaning the sand off her, he settled Emily in front of the TV with a juice, got the key from his study and made his way in to the pool house. He opened the door and stood there for a moment letting the memories flood over him. Inside, it was an exact replica of the Cohen's pool house. No one but him had ever been in there before. He had always maintained that it wasn't finished or that he'd misplaced the key.

The truth was that it was a shrine to Marissa; to their time together.

Over the last couple of years, when he was feeling at his lowest ebb he would come in here and lie down on the bed, knowing that some how he managed to keep thoughts of Marissa near him whenever he was in there. He looked around at all the photos that adorned the place and he grabbed a basket to collect them. There were photos of the fantastic four, just the two of them and then some just of Marissa. They were his favourites. He didn't think that Keith would need those reminders of who he was working for. He collected them and as he was putting the last couple in the basket he felt the hairs on his neck stand up and he knew that he wasn't alone. He stood still waiting to hear a noise hoping that it was Emily but when not a thing was said, he knew that it was Marissa. He turned to look at her as she stared around the room obviously stunned.

Ryan moved towards her trying to laugh it all away, scared about what she may have been thinking. "By the time I got to the pool house I'd run out of ideas so I just used one I knew." He suggested.

Marissa looked at him. "But it's our pool house." She said softly. Almost as if she was in a church and she had to speak reverently.

Ryan nodded. At least she didn't seem freaked out by it. "I know. I guess the truth is I wasn't prepared to leave it behind. It held too many memories."

Marissa looked at him and then softly asked. "Was I part of those memories?"

Ryan picked up the basket on the floor that he had been about to hide and held it out to her. Marissa looked at the framed photos and she understood. As she moved the photos to look at each one in turn, the memories of the times when they were taken flooded over her and she felt the tears come to her eyes. She looked at Ryan through her blurred vision and she realised that he had been just as devastated by their 'break up' as she had; maybe more. How could she blame him for what happened with Charlotte? He coped as best he could. Just as she had. But there was one thing she knew for sure.

She would never forgive her mother.


	86. Fatherly advice

_So I know this one isn't as long as usual but I sort of like it. Hope you do. Enjoy !_

**Fatherly advice.**

Sunday lunch at the Cohen's had been very enjoyable. Emily played with Seth who was hell bent on becoming her favourite after Summer had been the chosen one on Wednesday night. He didn't want that to happen twice in a row. So he spent all his time playing with her and then trying to teach her how to play on the play station eventually declaring that she was 'a natural'; much to Emily's delight. After lunch, Summer and Seth left to go and visit Summer's Dad and Emily turned her attention to Kirsten; asking her to read to her. Obviously Kirsten agreed and since it was such a nice day they decided to sit on one of the sun lounges beside the pool.

Ryan had volunteered to clean up in the kitchen and Sandy convinced Marissa to go and sit in the sun as the boys did the work. She took his advice and went to sit beside Kirsten and Emily. Ryan washed up, as Sandy dried and Ryan couldn't help but keep glancing out the window at Marissa. She was watching Emily and the look on her face was heart breaking. He knew exactly what she was thinking about because it hadn't been far from his thoughts ever since Friday. Sandy watched the play of emotions on Ryan's face and then moved to look out the window to see what was causing the concern to be written all over it. What he looked at was Marissa and he noticed for the first time that the smile that she had been wearing was only skin deep. He wondered just what was going on with the two of them. He knew that Ryan found it difficult to ask for help so he would just have to try to offer it even if he didn't know what the problem was. But it was obvious that they were troubled about something.

"So how are things as a 'Dad'?" Sandy asked.

Ryan turned to look at Sandy a small smile making its way on to his face. "Truthfully ?… it's ... different. Good and bad."

"Well just think yourself lucky that you didn't have Seth. That was a real experience." Sandy stated trying to keep the conversation light knowing that it would be easier to get Ryan to open up if it didn't seem too serious.

"I can imagine." Ryan replied.

"I don't think you can. I'm sure he's truly unique." Sandy replied trying to get the conversation going.

"No arguments there." Ryan commented.

Sandy changed subjects and tried again "So how's Marissa adjusting to things?"

Ryan looked back out of the window and replied. "Yeah good. The incident the other day with the paparazzi upset her but I don't think we'll have any more problems like that. Keith should get here this afternoon and he'll keep an eye on things and make sure they don't get bothered again."

"So, is that all that's bothering her?" Sandy asked.

"Sorry?" Ryan asked as he looked at Sandy surprised.

"Come on. You two aren't exactly the same couple you were a week ago. I thought it was something to do with Emily but thinking back I realise that Marissa was fine on Thursday when we went to lunch and that was after the incident with the paparazzi. Something has happened since then to take the shine from her eyes." Sandy commented as he joined Ryan in front of the window.

Ryan looked back out and wondered whether to say anything … finally replying "It's nothing … really."

Sandy considered his answer and then added "You know that Kirsten and I are here for you both. You've both been through so much. If there is anything we can do to help you know we'd be more than happy. If having a child all of a sudden is too much, we could always …".

Ryan cut him off and gave a sad laugh. "No the complete opposite."

"Sorry?" Sandy was puzzled by Ryan's comment.

Ryan thought for a moment and wondered whether to reveal anymore or not. He looked at Sandy seeing only concern in his eyes. He decided to try to explain what had happened. He didn't want Sandy worried about them. They were going to have to rely on Sandy and Kirsten's help with Emily. It didn't seem right to expect them to do that, if they were thinking that Ryan and Marissa were regretting taking in Emily in the first place. He guessed they deserved to know exactly what was going on. "Just between you and me … we had a bit of a pregnancy scare last week. Marissa was late and we thought that just maybe we'd become the 1 in a thousand that had slipped past the effectiveness of the pill."

"So that's why she's so concerned. She might be pregnant." Sandy stated.

"No. She isn't pregnant. And the simple fact is that after the initial shock we'd both decided that we rather liked the idea. We found out on Friday that she isn't and I guess that we're both just trying to come to terms with it. It's a bit hard to do that when we have Emily bouncing around as she takes up all of our attention but right now when someone else is keeping her amused … well I suspect that Marissa is just thinking about what might have been." Ryan replied and from the tone of his voice Sandy realised that Ryan was having trouble dealing with it as well.

Sandy looked out the window at the beautiful young woman before him. "Your both young. You've got plenty of time."

"Yeah. We know that. But somehow it doesn't seem to help that much just right now." Ryan replied.

"Well for what it's worth. I've always thought that God works in mysterious ways … maybe it just wasn't the right time for you." Sandy commented.

Ryan looked doubtfully at him but said nothing.

"Hey don't be so sceptical ... somehow he brought you to us." Sandy commented.

Ryan smiled. "Yeah. He definitely got that one right."

"And Marissa is back where she belongs." Sandy added.

Ryan smiled. "Yeah. But still …"

"Look. You've only been back together a few weeks. Give yourselves a chance to get reacquainted." Sandy suggested.

Ryan blushed.

"And I don't just mean that way. Plus I still think that you should be married before you get serious about starting a family." Sandy said.

"It must run in the family." Ryan responded.

"What?" Sandy enquired.

"Apparently the Nana has already informed Marissa of the desired order of things." Ryan explained.

"Well for once I'd have to agree with her. So don't go throwing those contraceptive pills out just yet." Sandy suggested.

"With Emily around you have no fear. She's better than the pill anytime. She's 100 effective." Ryan looked at Sandy regretfully. "Since she's been with us we haven't managed to even ..." Ryan stopped realising that he had been about to divulge way too much information.

Sandy roared laughing and put his hand on Ryan's back to commiserate as Ryan's meaning sunk in. "Welcome to the world of fatherhood."

"Yeah – thanks for that." Ryan smiled as he replied dejectedly.


	87. Seattle

_Thanks guys. It seems that there are other fans of the Sandy/Ryan chat than just me. LOL But on with the show. Enjoy!_

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**Seattle**

Monday morning Ryan left bright and early. He had to meet Skip at the airport to fly to Seattle. He was going to have a look at the site for the proposed development that he'd had the meeting about on Thursday evening. He'd received a phone call on Friday asking him to come and look it over and that could only be a good sign. At least they must have made the shortlist otherwise they would never have been invited to do a site inspection. Keith had arrived on Sunday evening and settled in to the pool house so Ryan was happy that Marissa and Emily would be safe while he was away for the day.

Marissa, Emily and Keith had spent the morning at the beach just playing around. Ryan had found an old soccer ball in the garage and so Keith had taken it to the beach with them. He and Emily had spent quite a bit of time kicking it back and forwards. Marissa knew that Ryan would be pleased to know that Emily was getting all of her kicking practice out of the way in the daytime. Perhaps she wouldn't be quite so active in that department tonight.

After lunch Marissa and Emily were sitting on the floor playing a puzzle when the house phone rang. Reaching for it Marissa checked the caller id before she would answer and then picked it up. "Hello." She said happily.

"Marissa. Hi It's Sandy." Came the pleasant greeting.

"Hi. Sandy. What can I do for you?" she asked.

"Well, I was just wondering what time you were expecting Ryan home this evening?"

"I'm not sure exactly. It depends on how things go in Seattle but he seemed to think he should be back by about 7."

"Perfect." Sandy replied.

"Do you need his help with something?" she asked.

"No. It's more what we can do for you?" Sandy added smiling to himself.

"Sorry? I don't understand." Marissa was confused.

"Well. Kirsten and I were just talking and we thought we might take Emily to a movie with us?" He suggested.

"That's really nice of you Sandy but you don't have to do that." Marisa replied,

"It would be our pleasure." he assured her.

"Well okay. I'm sure she would love it. Will you be by shortly to get her or would you like me to bring her over to you?" Marissa asked.

"No. We'll come and collect her. But we won't be by until around 6:30. The movie doesn't start until 7 so that should give us plenty of time." Sandy explained.

"6:30? But I thought you meant an afternoon session and that you wanted to have her back before Ryan got home?" Marissa said.

"No no. This evening …. You see I thought that you and Ryan might appreciate a little 'alone time'. I know what it's like having a child about the place. Time together can be difficult to arrange." Sandy explained.

Marissa couldn't help but smile as the implication of his words sunk in. "That would be …" she searched for the right word.

"I know. I gather from Ryan that things have been … trying." Sandy laughed.

Marissa blushed at his words. "You really don't have to. We'll manage." Marissa replied embarrassed that her future father-in-law seemed to know so much about their private lives.

"I'm sure you will but you'll also manage just fine with a few hours to yourselves this evening. And if Emily is still going strong after the movie then we'll take her for ice cream. We'll see you just after 6." He added and hung up, leaving her no time to reply.

Marissa put the phone back in its cradle thinking to herself. Tonight! She'd already known that they would try again tonight but there had been the possibility that Emily would interrupt them yet again but if she was going to be at the movies then there was no chance for interruption. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face. She thought about ringing Ryan and letting him know but she decided to keep it as a surprise but she wanted to do something special. She just had to decide what. Marissa put Emily down for a nap to make sure that she wouldn't be tired and grumpy for Kirsten and Sandy and while Emily was sleeping she made her plans. She was going to have to get Keith's help. So while Emily was asleep she checked with him and he even helped with some suggestions. She knew she could count on him. She planned to make this a night to remember.

---

Ryan sat in the uncomfortable seat at the airport rubbing his forehead with his hand trying to stop the headache that was forming from taking root. The last thing he needed was this.

Skip looked over at him and said "I'm sorry about this. But it's not worth the risk. We just have to wait until they check it all out."

"Yeah I know. I just …" he shrugged.

"Yeah I know." Skip answered. "The little woman. Remember I've got one of them too now."

Ryan smiled. "Yeah. But I've got two that I have to answer to."

"Always have to go one better don't you?" Skip teased.

"What can I say?" Ryan replied. "I guess I'd better give Marissa a call and let her know what's going on."

"Okay. I'll go and get us another coffee. Back soon." Skip added.

---

"Ris."

"Ryan. Where are you? Will you be here soon?" she asked. It was almost 7 and Sandy and Kirsten had left a short time ago. Everything was set as she looked around the room at the candles glowing.

"No. I'm still in Seattle. There's a problem with the aircraft that they have to check out before we can leave. Skip seems to think that it may just be a faulty warning light but until we know for sure 'we ain't going nowhere' is how he put it."

There was deathly silence and Ryan started to get worried.

"Ris. Are you still there?" he asked.

"Yeah I'm here." she answered the regret obvious in her voice.

"I'm sorry but there's not much that I can do. Is everything okay with Emily?" he asked.

"Yeah she's at the movies with Sandy and Kirsten." Marissa replied.

"What? Now?" he asked.

"Yeah. Sandy called earlier today and asked could she go with them. He seemed to think that we needed some alone time. I guess we're getting it or at least I am … I'm alone." She replied sadly.

"So you're at home all alone and we could be …" Ryan started.

"Let me assure you if you were here we **would** be …" Marissa replied.

"Oh God …" Ryan said thinking about what he was missing out on. "But what about …?"

"The coast's clear – if you know what I mean." Marissa assured him. "I'm set to go."

Ryan laughed. "I get your drift. So we really could be."

"**Would** be." Marissa corrected again. "Unless of course Keith was wrong about you."

"What's Keith got to do with this, with us, with what…?" Ryan asked confused. tThe ideas that were running through his head in no way involved Keith.

"Let's just say that I had to ask him for his help with setting things up for this evening and he helped me with a few suggestions. Mind you I think he might want to renegotiate his salary after I made him go to Victoria's Secret for me this afternoon."

Ryan was surprised "What was Keith doing in Victoria's Secret?"

"Making some purchases for me. After what happened at the mall last week I thought I might attract some unwanted attention so we had a talk about what you might like and I wrote down my sizes and Emily and I sat in the car while he went and picked up a few things for me that I thought might help to get you in the mood tonight." Marissa said.

"Since when have I ever not been in the mood?" Ryan asked.

"True. But I wanted this to be special. But you're telling me that I shouldn't have bothered?" Marissa asked.

"Depends. Exactly what am I missing out on?" Ryan asked.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I gather from the noise in the background that you're not in private?" Marissa said.

"I'm not. I'm sitting in the terminal at Seatac. But I can't resist knowing just what I'm missing out on. I know I must be some sort of masochist. Just hold on a sec."

Marissa waited a few seconds.

"Okay I'm back." Ryan said as he made himself comfortable.

"Where did you go?" Marissa asked.

"I just had to get my briefcase." He replied.

"What you're going to do some work while you talk to me?" Marissa asked.

"No. I'm not going to open it. I just wanted to put it on my lap." Ryan assured her his voice dropping lower so she could get his drift.

Marissa smiled. "Why?" she thought she knew where this conversation was going.

"Let's just say that I think before you start telling me about exactly what you had planned for me, I thought it wouldn't hurt to keep myself covered. I wouldn't want anything poking up and drawing attention to me." Ryan explained. "But back to Keith. What exactly has been going on?"

Marissa laughed. "Well I asked Keith if he would mind doing some shopping for me and I explained that we'd been having some trouble spending any time alone together and that since Emily was going out I wanted to make tonight special. He was embarrassed at first. But once he got over his initial reservations, he got right in to the swing of things. He was very uncomfortable about going in to Victoria's Secret but he sure must have gotten the hang of it. He even came away with the phone number of the sales assistant. Apparently he told her he was new in town and she nicely volunteered to show him around."

"Good for him. But back to exactly what he purchased for you." Ryan couldn't wait to hear.

"Maybe I should keep that as a surprise." Marissa suggested.

"No. I need to know now. I've had such a rotten day you couldn't deny me this little bit of pleasure." Ryan assured her.

"Just remember, I had planned a lot of pleasure." Marissa said.

"Argh. Don't remind me. I'm in pain just thinking about it. But come on spill. Exactly what am I missing out on?" Ryan asked.

"Well. Keith suggested an outfit similar to Charlotte's when she was … well ... I'm sure you remember. There's no doubt that it left a permanent mark on Keith's memory. I suspect he's watched that video a few times." Marissa smiled thinking about the look on Keith's face and the shade of pink he went as he'd suggested it to her.

Ryan replied. "I may be able to recall it." He said smiling broadly.

"It's a good thing your not here or you'd be in for it." Marissa replied.

"Just for the record I'd love to be in it." Ryan added.

"What? In trouble or in the outfit?" Marissa asked puzzled.

"No … in you." he replied huskily. "And I just said I MAY be able to recall it. You'd look so much better in it anyway."

"Nice try Atwood. Anyhow, Keith made his first ever visit to Victoria's Secret and definitely came out a winner. I'm sitting here in a low cut black lace bra and matching suspender belt, with black stockings and high heels. I feel like a bit of a tart." She added shyly. "But I was hoping that you would like it nonetheless."

"Oh God … I do. I definitely do." He replied as the vision of Marissa flooded his mind. "But people are going to think I can levitate my briefcase if we keep talking about this any longer." Ryan could see Skip returning with his coffee. "I'd better go but I'll call you as soon as I know what's going on."

"Okay. I love you." Marissa replied sadly

"Love you too." Ryan replied feeling that the three little words didn't come anywhere near close enough to explaining just how he felt. He needed to show her. But how could he do that when he was stuck in Seattle?


	88. Try again

_Thanks to all my lovely readers. It's great to hear from you._

**Try again**

It was after 2am by the time Ryan got back to LAX and when he had last spoken to Marissa about 10pm they had decided that it made sense for him to stay at the apartment in LA. It was a good thing that Skip had made them wait and get the aircraft checked because it turned out there was a problem with the landing gear and they'd then had to wait until it was fixed. Still … 'better late than dead' as Skip had put it … and it was hard to question that reasoning.

As Ryan was driving to the apartment from the airport he knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep. All he could think about was what he had missed out on earlier that evening by not being with Marissa. Nothing else seemed to matter, so he changed his mind and took the freeway that would lead him to Newport. He'd be there before 4. With a bit of luck Emily would sleep through the night, as she had the last few nights, and then he and Marissa could have at least some time together before Emily woke. Maybe not long but at this point he wouldn't need long. Hell … he'd thought he'd been about to burst when she had been talking to him at the airport and telling him what she was wearing. As the thoughts of her played on his mind he accelerated a little more. He couldn't wait to get there. All thoughts of sleep had evaporated. He decided it was over-rated anyhow.

---

As he pulled into the garage and made his way quietly up the stairs he started to disrobe so that by the time he had reached their bedroom he was only in his boxers, the rest of his clothes were strewn along the way. The room was still in total darkness as he pulled the boxers from his hips and slipped into the bed. Moving across and reaching for Marissa his hand came across … Emily. She stirred and he let out a gasp as he quickly got back out of the bed to put his boxers back on. But he couldn't find where he'd dropped them in the dark.

Marissa heard the noise and reached for the lamp and as she switched it on she was confronted by the sight of a naked Ryan on his hands and knees frantically searching the floor. He looked up as the light flooded the room and quickly grabbed for his manhood trying to cover himself before Emily got an eyeful. "Turn the light off!" he instructed Marissa as he grabbed for his boxers and pulled them back on.

"Sorry" Marissa said as she did as he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you." Ryan whispered.

Marissa couldn't help but laugh."Well, I sure just saw you. ALL of you!!!"

Emily stirred and said. "Why is everybody talking when it's still dark?"

"It's alright Em. Go back to sleep. It's not morning yet." Marissa tried to reassure her, hoping that she would do as she said so that she could spend some time with Ryan.

"But I heard Wyan. He's here some where." Emily said almost in wonderment.

Ryan had been standing quietly in the dark hoping that Emily would go back to sleep but she now sounded like she was completely awake. "I'm here Em." He said as he got back into bed.

"Yay." She said as she snuggled up to him. "I missed you." She added.

"Uh huh. And I missed you too munchkin." He said as he reached over Emily in the dark looking for Marissa.

"I missed you too." Marissa said huskily.

"The feelings mutual." Ryan sighed.

---

Marissa and Emily got up early and decided to make Ryan a special breakfast but they left Ryan to sleep in, not realising that he needed to be at work by 9. When he finally awoke he came flying down the stairs looking for his car keys that were in the pocket of the trousers that he had shed somewhere last night.

"Ry? What's the hurry? We've made you breakfast." Marissa said.

"Sorry. I can't. I don't have time. I should have left an hour ago. Do you know where my pants from last night are? My keys are in the pocket." He replied.

Marissa walked down the hall towards the laundry. "I put them in the dirty washing." She grabbed the trousers and fished out his keys.

Taking them from her Ryan leaned in for a quick kiss. "Thanks. I've got to go. I'll call you later." He said as he moved towards the garage. "Bye Em. Be good for Marissa." He called out.

Marissa stood waiting for the whirlwind to settle after his departure. Emily walked up to her.

"What about Wyan's special breakfast?" she asked Marissa sadly.

"Yeah." Marissa replied disappointed. "Maybe you should go and see if Keith is awake and invite him in. We've got more than enough to share."

---

Ryan called Annabel from the car to let her know that he was running late and to cover for him and she reminded him that he was the guest speaker at a dinner for the American Institute of Architects that evening. Ryan knew that he wouldn't be popular with Marissa. But he had made the commitment months ago. Well before he'd even known that she was coming to the country. He couldn't let them down now. It would be too late to organise an alternate guest speaker plus they had been promoting the event. He just couldn't pull out now.

He thought for a moment and then picked up the phone and called Marissa.

"Hey." Marissa said as she looked at the caller id. "What did you forget?" she knew he still wouldn't be at work yet.

"You." Ryan replied.

"Aw. Missing me already?" she asked.

"Yeah. And that's why I have something to ask you. I don't want to spend anymore time away from you than is absolutely necessary." Ryan replied.

Marissa smiled. The slight resentment she'd felt after making him breakfast that he hadn't eaten, disappearing at his words. "What can I do for you?" she asked.

"Well … I'd forgotten that I'm the guest speaker at a dinner tonight and I can't get out of it. I was wondering if you could get Sandy and Kirsten to baby-sit and then you could come with me? Just drive up to LA this afternoon. It may be boring as all hell … but at least we'd be together. At the moment I'd settle for that." He assured her.

"So would I" she replied sadly "but Sandy and Kirsten are starting their Latin dance classes tonight. Remember they were talking about it on Sunday. And then last night when they dropped Emily home … it was all Kirsten could talk about. She's so excited."

"I forgot about that." Ryan said. "Do you think maybe Keith could …"

"I'm sure he could … but I can't ask him. Remember we promised Judge Collins that we wouldn't leave her with strangers." Marissa replied.

"Yeah. I was just hoping …" he started.

"I know ... So does this mean that you will stay in LA tonight?" she asked dejectedly.

"I guess it depends on just how late I am. But maybe. As you know … I haven't had much sleep lately so I'm not sure what sort of state I'll be in by tonight." Ryan replied.

"You should have stayed at the apartment last night." Marissa suggested.

"Probably … but I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep there while all I could think about was you. And tonight probably won't be any different."

Marissa smiled. "Well if it helps, I'll be in the same boat. It's no easier for me."

"Ris I really need you." Ryan pleaded.

"I know. The feelings mutual. But there's nothing much we can do." Marissa replied.

"I guess not." Ryan replied resignedly.

"I'd better go. Emily's calling." Marissa said.

"Okay. I'll talk to you later."

---

After her conversation with Ryan, Marissa was cleaning up in the kitchen and she was feeling a little sorry for herself. She knew her days were full with looking after Emily but it seemed that she and Ryan rarely saw one another and it wasn't just that they hadn't got to do 'IT' for ages. It was more than that. She missed HIM. All of him. She knew that Sandy and Kirsten couldn't baby-sit for her that evening but … an idea started to form and she quickly went to the phone to call them. Maybe they could look after Emily for a few hours this afternoon and she would drive up to LA to see Ryan. Even if it was just for a while, at least they could spend some time together and at this point anything would be better than nothing.

In lieu of what had happened the previous evening and the fact that Ryan wasn't going to be home again that night as well, Sandy and Kirsten were only too happy to oblige. Marissa just needed to be back in Newport by 6 so they could get to their dance class; which meant, she would need to leave LA by 4 to allow for the traffic and still be back in time. Sandy and Kirsten said they would be over as soon as Kirsten finished at the hairdresser's which should be about 1. That meant that Marissa could be in LA before 3. She and Ryan would get at least an hour. She smiled thinking that they would make the most of it.

---

Ryan spent the morning in a planning meeting with his senior managers. The meeting went on and on because Ryan had missed last week's meeting because he had been in San Francisco getting Emily, so he had to be brought up to date on a number projects. They finally wrapped things up just before 2 and all Ryan could think about was getting something to eat. After having skipped breakfast, the burger that he'd eaten at the airport with Skip last night seemed a long time ago. He made his way back to his office intending to get Annabel to go and get something for him.

---

Marissa felt a bit impolite, but as soon as Sandy and Kirsten arrived she was out the door in a flash. The sooner she got to LA the more time she could spend with Ryan. She hadn't been able to think of anything else since she'd called them that morning. She'd even checked with Annabel that Ryan wouldn't be tied up in meetings. Thankfully, the meeting that Ryan had scheduled for the afternoon had been postponed. So he should be all hers; for more than an hour. And that being the case, after a little bit of thought, she had decided to wear the Victoria's Secret outfit from yesterday under her skirt and blouse. She knew that the black stockings probably looked a bit odd in the middle of the day but at this point she didn't really care. With a bit of luck Ryan may actually get to see the outfit this time. And hopefully it would have the desired effect. She just hoped he had a lock on his office door. It looked like things were finally going their way.

---

On his way back to his office Ryan stopped past Annabel's desk. "Hi. Would you mind going and getting me something for lunch? I'm starving but I've got a few things to do before my 3 o'clock." He asked.

"I don't mind at all. But Mr Hawkins called earlier and postponed to Friday. Apparently he's been held up. So you don't have any more meetings this afternoon." Annabel replied.

Ryan was surprised. "Well in that case…" he thought for a moment "I'll go out and pick up something for myself. A bit of fresh air might help to keep me awake." Ryan replied.

"Yeah. You were really late last night. Skip didn't get in until just before 3." Annabel commented.

Ryan smiled. He hadn't actually asked Skip about how things were going with Annabel recently. He knew they were still seeing one another. But it sounded more like they were actually living together if he was turning up at 3 in the morning. He thought about asking Annabel and then hesitated; maybe it would be better to ask Skip. He'd call him later. "Yeah, well it was nearly 4 by the time I got to Newport." Ryan stated. "So if I want to stay awake tonight and not fall asleep half way through my speech then a walk might do me good."

Annabel nodded as Ryan made his way into his office to deposit his papers. He thought about whether to call Marissa now or when he returned from lunch and decided to wait until he got back. He'd get something to go and then he could talk to her while he was eating it. Then he wondered about calling Seth but he figured that he would have already eaten. But maybe he'd call and check? As he reached for the phone he had an idea that was even better. He picked up his keys and phone and made his way back out the door, pausing beside Annabel's desk to inform her. "I'm going out. If you need me, I'll be on my cell."

---

Marissa arrived at Atwood Industries just before 3 and couldn't get to Ryan's floor fast enough. She stood in the foyer waiting for the lift wondering why they always took so long whenever you were in a hurry. When it finally arrived, she got in and pushed the button for the top floor, and then turned to the mirror on the back wall to check that she looked all right. She couldn't wait to see him.

As she stepped from the lift she walked up to Annabel's desk. She had been hoping that Annabel would be missing. She really didn't want to waste her time being pleasant to Annabel, she just wanted to see Ryan. But since Annabel was sitting at her desk, Marissa couldn't get to Ryan's office without walking by. But she wanted to get past as quickly as possible. "Hi Annabel. Is Ryan alone?" she asked barely hesitating in front of Annabel's desk.

Annabel looked up and smiled. "Hi Marissa. Um … Ryan's out getting something to eat. But he's been gone a little while, so I don't imagine he will be too much longer."

"Oh." Marissa replied unable to keep the disappointment from her voice.

"He did say to call him on his cell if he was needed. So you could just …" Annabel suggested.

"No. I wanted it to be a surprise. If he's been gone a while then hopefully he'll be back soon. I'll just go and wait in his office for him."


	89. Ships that pass in the night

**Ships that pass in the night**

Ryan pulled in to the driveway and wondered what Sandy and Kirsten were doing there. But maybe this could be even better than he'd hoped for. They might take Emily out for a walk and he and Marissa could spend some 'alone' time together. That would be a bonus he hadn't been expecting. He jumped out and walked in through the front door. "Hey everyone. What's going on here?" he asked, smiling as he saw Sandy, Kirsten and Emily all dancing in front of the TV to The Wiggles.

They all turned around at once; shocked to see him there. Sandy was the first to ask. "What are you doing here?"

"I had a couple of spare hours so I thought I'd come and spend some time with Maris … my girls." Ryan replied not wanting to make it too obvious who he most wanted to see, even though he figured that Sandy already knew.

"But ..." Kirsten started.

Ryan looked from one to the other the shock on their faces starting to register with him. "Where's Marissa?" Ryan asked almost dreading the answer.

There was a moment of silence until finally Sandy replied. "She went to LA to see you."

Ryan's face fell. He had been able to think of nothing but her all the way from LA; thinking that he was getting closer and closer when in truth he was now as far away as when he'd started. "When did she leave?"

"About 1 o'clock." Sandy replied looking at his watch.

Ryan looked at his. It was 3:45. That meant that Marissa would have arrived at his office about an hour ago. "But …" he started to say and then stopped. "I'll just go to the study and call her." Ryan stated; the disappointment apparent in his voice.

Sandy nodded as he looked at Kirsten. It seemed that even with their help, Ryan and Marissa couldn't get a break.

Emily went to follow Ryan but was quickly stopped by Kirsten. "Not now darling. Ryan has a call to make." She looked over at Sandy who just shrugged his shoulders. There wasn't much else he could do at this point.

Ryan entered his study and sat down at the desk. Maybe she was on her way back already and he would just have to sit tight until she got here. He quickly flicked open his phone and called Marissa's cell. It rang only once before she answered.

"Ryan. Where are you?" Marissa asked. She'd been sitting in his office for an hour; just waiting.

"At Newport. Where are you?" he replied hoping she would say she was on her way back to Newport.

"LA." Marissa replied sadly. "Annabel said you'd just gone to get some lunch. I couldn't work out what was taking you so long."

"Well I was going to. But all I could think about was you. So when my meeting this afternoon got cancelled, I decided that I'd come and spend some time with you. Why didn't you call? I would have come back." Ryan asked.

"I wanted it to be a surprise." Marissa replied sadly.

"I'm surprised." He replied the disappointment seeping into his bones. "Just stay there and I'll come straight back now." He added.

"I can't. I have to leave in the next 15 minutes. I promised Sandy and Kirsten that I'd leave by 4 to be back for them to get to their dance class. You stay there and I'll come back." She suggested.

"I can't. I can only stay about an hour and then I'll have to leave to get back in time for the dinner. So even if I hang around here for a while, I'll still have to leave before you get back." He replied resignedly.

"So the best we can do is talk for the next 15 minutes?" Marissa asked.

"I guess." Ryan replied. "Although talking wasn't what I'd most like to be doing with you." He added; looking at the desk in front of him and remembering a time when he'd had a naked Marissa lying on it. His body started to respond just from the memory. He'd always thought that the idea of 'aching' for someone was dreamt up by the authors of romance novels but he knew for sure that it was real. But it all seemed so long ago now.

Marissa groaned. "Ryan don't. Do you realise what has been going through my mind for the last hour. I'm sitting here in my Victoria's Secret gear again … imagining what would happen when you walked through the door and thinking that this time around you'd get to see it and hoping that you'll like it."

Ryan closed his eyes trying to envisage the sight of Marissa in his office in a lacey bra and suspender belt. "I do. I know I do." Ryan assured her. "But I'd still like to see **it** in person. Or maybe that should be … I'd still like to see the person in **it**?"

"She'd like to see you too." Marissa replied sadly. "I can't believe our timing is so … off."

Ryan couldn't help but smile. "Yeah. Because usually our timing is spot on." He commented his voice getting husky as the implication of his words became apparent. All he could think about was the rhythm that seemed to come naturally to them when they were alone together.

Marissa smiled. "I'm sure we'll still synchronise well if we ever actually manage to have the opportunity again. It just seems to be getting harder and harder."

"What are we talking about here? Because I couldn't agree more." Ryan said as he rubbed the stiffening in his pants trying to will it away. He wasn't going to be seeing any action for a while yet but his body still seemed to react just to the sound of her voice.

Marissa grimaced at the unspoken meaning of his words. "Ry?" she said sadly; the longing apparent in the simple word.

Ryan desperately wanted to be with her but it looked like it wasn't going to happen today. But he couldn't wait much longer. "Okay. This is what you should do. Go out and tell Annabel that she should clear my schedule for tomorrow. I don't care what's there; she just has to get rid of it because I won't be in. As soon as I wake up in the morning then I'm coming straight back down here and I'll spend the day with you. I'll go and ask Sandy and Kirsten now if they could maybe take Em for a couple of hours so we can have some time alone. At least then …"

"Don't bother." Marissa interrupted.

"What? Why?" Ryan asked surprised. He thought his idea made perfect sense.

"Because Sandy and Kirsten are already looking after Emily tomorrow. I have to work." Marissa said. "The studio called yesterday. They need to redo a few scenes apparently. So there's no point in you taking the day off. Unless you just want to spend it with Emily?"

"That wasn't exactly my plan." Ryan replied. "How long do you expect to be at work?" he asked.

"I don't know. I gather the intention is that we will keep going until it's finished. So it could be a long day."

"I can't believe this. So even if I come home early tomorrow, you may not even be here?" Ryan asked.

"Uh huh." Marissa replied resignedly. "But at least we will get to spend the weekend together. You do remember that we have to take Emily to see Cheryl?"

"Yeah. I spoke to Skip about it last night. We just have to work out when we want to go. I need to mention it to Keith as well. He might like to catch up with some friends while we're up there I figure. Will we just go for the day or do you think we should stay overnight?" Ryan asked trying to think about something other than his physical need for Marissa.

"I don't really mind. I guess it depends on how Cheryl is. If she's still in a coma then probably a day will do. But is she's conscious then she will probably want to spend more time with Emily so we should probably stay I'll give Sue a call and find out how Cheryl's doing. But what about coming home? Will we be coming back commercial again?" Marissa asked thinking about the trip home with Emily and the attention they were likely to get. Much as Keith was a big help, there was no doubt the paparazzi had not lost interest in them yet. They were still the favour of the month.

"No. Skip offered to stay up there with us. Mind you, I think he would like to bring Annabel along too. I guess it gives him something to do while we're at the hospital. You don't mind if she comes do you?" Ryan asked.

"As long as she's busy with Skip and keeps her eyes off you, I don't." Marissa assured him. "I haven't forgotten our little dinner party just yet. I'm still not sure if I trust her completely?"

"From what I can gather, Skip is keeping her more than amused. I'm actually pretty jealous of him just at the moment." Ryan said.

"What jealous of Skip because he gets to be with Annabel?" Marissa teased.

"No jealous, just because he is actually getting some. Please tell me that we will get back on the same track. And soon. "

"We'd better." She replied sadly. "But I'd better go now. I have to leave for Newport or I'll be late getting back. And I can't do that to Sandy and Kirsten. They've been great. I'll see you tomorrow night sometime." Marissa added.

"Okay. But I'll talk to you before then." Ryan replied. "I love you."

Marissa smiled. "Thank you." She returned.


	90. Desperation

_Thanks for the reviews. Hope you enjoy this !!_

**Desperation**

Wednesday morning, Marissa couldn't seem to get a thing right. She knew she was on edge. The director kept telling her to relax but all she could think about was getting all of her scenes completed so that she could get out of there. But at the rate she was going they would still be there next week. No matter how hard she tried, she seemed to lose concentration half way through the scene and then stuff it up completely. It was nearing 11 and the director had told her to take a break and pull herself together. She'd never been this bad before. Even on the first day she'd managed to at least get some things right. She was walking towards her dressing room with her head bowed and was on the verge of tears. She knew it wasn't the director's fault but it just seemed that everything was going wrong, when suddenly she was grabbed by a pair of hands just before she collided with the person in front of her.

"Hey. Careful there."

She looked up into the eyes of J.B. Connell. She quickly tried to blink away the excess moisture that was threatening to fall from her eyes. "Sorry."

J.B. looked at her concerned, taking in the forlorn look on her face. "Hey what's wrong.?"

"Sorry. I'm not having a good day. I can't seem to get anything right." Marissa explained.

"So it's just work?" J.B. asked. "Nothing to do with Ryan?" He added. He really liked this couple. Ryan was like the son he never had … and Marissa … well Marissa put a smile on Ryan's face that he had never seen before. And he wanted it to stay there. He didn't want to see them fall apart as so many did when they were put under the pressure of all the public scrutiny. He'd seen all the reports about them and the little girl in the newspaper and he wondered what was going on? He'd thought about calling Ryan and asking but he knew that Ryan was a very private person and he'd tell him if and only if it suited Ryan. Part of the reason for his visit to the set was that he'd thought that Marissa may be able to shed some light on things but from the state she was in he couldn't bring himself to ask her.

"Ryan who?" Marissa asked. She saw so little of him these days that it felt like the right thing to ask.

"Um …" J.B. was shocked. Were things even worse than he'd imagined? "Atwood." He finished.

Marissa sighed. "Sorry ... I just haven't seen very much of him recently. It seems whenever I'm free he isn't and today he was going to take the day off but I'm working." She shrugged. "I'm starting to forget what he looks like." Marissa exaggerated as she tried to force a smile.

"I see. So where is he today?" J.B. asked.

"At work. There wasn't much point in him having the day off when I'm here. I'd been hoping that I could wrap up my scenes early but I can't seem to get anything right. I think I'll be here all night." Marissa added.

"Maybe you just need a break." The older man suggested.

"That's what the director said. I'm just heading to my dressing room now."

"Well why don't you take off and see Ryan?" J.B. asked.

"What? Now?" Marissa asked. "I'm sure he meant like a 10 minute break. It would take me twice that just to get to Ryan's office."

"Yeah. Now. Go on. I'll cover for you. It's nearly lunch time." He looked at his watch. "Well … sort of ... give or take an hour. Just make sure you're back here by 1 or you'll have me in trouble too."

Marissa looked at him trying to figure out whether he was serious or not. Maybe he was just pulling her leg.

"Go on. The longer you stand there, the less time you spend with Ryan." He added.

Marissa didn't need to be asked again. She flew into her dressing room and quickly changed out of her costume and grabbed her bag. She didn't care about the make up or her hair or anything else. She was going to see Ryan. That was all that mattered.

---

As soon as she left the parking lot at the studio she called Annabel.

"Annabel. It's Marissa. Is Ryan there?"

"Yeah he is. But I should warn you, he's like a bear with a sore head today. He can't get anything right and he seems to want to blame it on everyone else. I've never seen him like this. But if you're game, I'll put you through." Annabel replied.

"No don't. I'm coming to visit but I'd like it to be a surprise." Marissa smiled. She thought she knew what it was that was ailing Ryan. She had the same problem herself. Sexual frustration was a powerful thing. "Does he have anyone with him?" she asked.

"No one would be game. We're all steering clear." Annabel assured Marissa.

"Well can you make sure it stays that way? I'll be there in about 15 minutes. And if you know what's good for you, you'll make sure that nothing and no one interrupts us for at least an hour."

"Okay." Annabel replied, thinking that as long as she didn't need to go anywhere near Ryan then she'd be happy to comply with Marissa's wishes.

"Just make sure he doesn't leave before I get there this time. I'd prefer it to be a surprise but if you have to, then tie him to his chair to stop him from leaving." Marissa added thinking that maybe that could be fun anyhow. She spent the rest of the drive thinking about what exactly she would do to him if, when she arrived, Annabel had in fact tied him up. The possibilities were endless.

---

When Marissa arrived she went straight to Ryan's floor. She walked passed Annabel and barely hesitated. She was a woman on a mission.

Annabel stopped her with her words. "Marissa he's not in there."

"What?" Marissa turned on Annabel ready to let loose.

"He's just gone to the bathroom." Annabel stated quickly before Marissa started in on her. It seemed that Marissa and Ryan were both suffering from the same bad mood she thought. "Mind you I don't want to imagine what he's thinking about me right now. I put him through the third degree about where he was going and how long he would be. He bit my head off and then told me it was none of my business. But I followed him. You'd better explain it was all you're idea and that I was only following orders." Annabel added.

Marissa relaxed a little. "Okay. I'll wait in his office. Just make sure he comes straight back and don't tell him I'm there." Marissa stated and then made her way inside. She wanted to close the door and prepare herself but she knew that Ryan would notice the closed door so instead she stood behind the door and slipped her thong off and stuffed it in her bag. She contemplated slipping a few more things off but stopped herself. The door was still open. What if someone else came in before Ryan? She'd just have to stand there quietly and wait.

---

Ryan walked back to his office. As he passed by Annabel it was on the tip of his tongue to really go off at her. As if his day wasn't going badly enough already, she'd interrogated him about his bathroom habits and now she was sitting there grinning like a Cheshire cat. He wanted to yell at somebody, anybody, so why not her? The only thing that stopped him was the thought that he needed Skip to take them to San Fran on the weekend. If he upset Annabel then no doubt it would get back to Skip and he would give him a hard time about it. Maybe he'd leave it for now and just have a talk with Skip about her and her strange behaviour later.

He walked in to his office and as he made his way to his desk he heard the door close behind him. He turned to see what had caused it when his eyes fell upon … Marissa.

---

As soon as he was through the door, Marissa pushed it shut and locked it. She turned to him just as he turned back to look at her.

Not stopping to ask how or why; he covered the distance between them in an instant and took her in his arms; his mouth finding hers as they hungrily devoured one another. Their mouths and tongues were relentless … touching … tasting. Ryan slammed her up against the door as his hands started to move over her … stroking … caressing. The woman he loved was here … in the flesh. He felt like he was dreaming. But this was better than any dream.

Marissa quickly reached for his belt and made quick work of getting his belt and fly undone and his pants and boxers pushed down around his knees; her need for him blocking out all other conscious thought. Ryan sensed her impatience and moved his hands up the outside of her thighs and under her skirt only to find … nothing. He smiled through the kiss as he felt for her. She was moist and ready and he picked her up and thrust into her in almost a single movement, crashing her against the door. Marissa wrapped her legs around him pulling him further into her. Nothing in their lives had ever felt so good.

---

Annabel watched in horror as something thumped against the door of Ryan's office and it shook on its hinges. She wondered what was happening in there. She knew they were both angry about something but … When it came again moments later and then again … and again … she was concerned about whether the petitioning would be able to stand the onslaught that was obviously taking place from inside the room. But she couldn't help but smile as she realised what was causing it. It became obvious from the rhythm they'd found. All she could think was that maybe Ryan wouldn't be quite so … tense … this afternoon.

---

When they were finally done, Ryan staggered back the few steps and collapsed into his chair taking Marissa with him. He still had his shirt and tie on but his pants were now around his ankles. Marissa was still fully dressed – at least to all external appearances. Between kisses Ryan asked. "What are you doing here?"

"You." She smiled kissing back. "Complaining?"

He unbuttoned her blouse and removed her bra as he continued his assault with his mouth. Talking between the kisses he commented. "Anytime I can be of service, just let me know." He smiled and her heart melted.

"Well now that you mention it … " Marissa stated as she moved her hips to grind herself into his already reawakening manhood.

Ryan needed no more encouragement as he plunged back inside her. His mouth covered hers to muffle her cries as they moved together trying to satiate their need for one another.

---

A short time later, when speech was again possible, Ryan asked. "So I gather things went well this morning if you've finished already?"

Marissa laughed. "No they were actually terrible. I couldn't get anything right. So J.B. told me to take a break. I have to be back there by 1." She replied.

Ryan looked at his watch. "So this is just a booty call?"

Marissa smiled. "You could say that …. But I do love you." She added for good measure.

Ryan laughed. It felt like it had been a long time since he had really felt like laughing. "Yeah … you only love me for my body."

Marissa chuckled. "And your brain. I really love your brain."

"My brain hey?" Ryan teased. "Well my brain is trying to figure out if we have enough time to ..?" he asked shyly, indicating his desk with a nod of his head.

Marissa smiled. How could he be shy at a time like this? He really was adorable. "Absolutely." she answered as she stood up from his lap and shimmied out of her skirt. She started to move the things on his desk to one side and then deliberately stood in front of him and bent over the desk pretending to be reaching for something on the far side.

Ryan smiled as she wiggled her naked derriere in front of his face. He quickly stood and answered her unspoken invitation as he moved his hands over her hips and nudged back at her opening. He was slowly easing himself inside her until Marissa suddenly moved back along his length, impatient to have him fill her completely. He held her hips as he moved within her. Marissa grabbed his tie that she had stripped from him earlier and stuffed it in her mouth to try to muffle the sounds of ecstasy that she knew she would be unable to stifle as Ryan brought them to a monumental climax and they collapsed together on top of the desk.

---

They could both barely move and yet … they wanted to make the most of this time together. Who knew when the next opportunity would arise? When Ryan was able to move again, he withdrew and said. "When do you need to get going?"

Marissa glanced at the clock. She turned to look back over her shoulder at him and responded shyly. "Maybe we have time for 1 more?"

Ryan's smile broke into a huge grin. "Far be it from me to deny …." He was cut off by Marissa's mouth as it closed over his and she pulled him on top of her. She had rolled over and was now on her back on top of his desk. He willingly complied and wondered in the back of his mind how he would ever be able to work in this office again.

---

A short time later they were both trying to get dressed when Marissa started to giggle.

"What's so funny?" Ryan asked as he turned to her. He had been attempting to put his tie back on. But he was having difficulties; he seemed to be all thumbs.

He'd thought about just leaving it off since it had bite marks on it from being stuffed in Marissa's mouth but he had a huge hickey on his neck that he was trying to cover so he needed to persevere.

Marissa giggled again. "I'm so floppy. My limbs don't seem to be able to do the simplest tasks. I've been trying to get my thong back on for the last couple of minutes. But my hands and legs don't seem to be able to both work at the same time." She replied, giggling again as she did so. "I think I now know what it means to be 'loose as a goose'."

Ryan joined in with a chuckle as he watched her fumbling attempts. "You felt pretty tight to me." Ryan replied "But do you need me to give you a hand? I'm sure I could …" he asked.

"Nooo. You stay right away. I know what happens when you get near me. Your like this huge magnet that sucks me in … And much as I enjoy it, I have to get back to work. I can't be late." Marissa replied as she finally managed to accomplish her task.

---

Ryan walked Marissa to the lift to say good bye. As the doors were about to close he changed his mind and stopped the doors and entered the lift with her.

"I decided I wasn't ready to say good bye just yet." He said as he took her back into his arms.

"So what? Are you coming back to the studio with me?" Marissa teased.

"I don't think I can do anymore 'coming' with you just for a little while. I need to recover." He smiled.

"Ah. But I know that your recover very quickly. In fact I bet if I …." Marissa said reaching for his belt again.

Ryan pulled back. "Not here. Plus if we do, you will definitely be late."

"Okay." She replied with a playful pout. "But you better have recovered by tonight. Cause I'll be looking for the next round."


	91. Feast of Famine

**Feast or Famine**

When Marissa got back to the set, everything went right. It was as if someone had flicked a switch. Suddenly every take was spot on first time and she was through with her scenes before she knew it. She couldn't help but smile at the difference a visit to Ryan had made. How had she become so dependant on him … on the physical him … that she didn't function well without him anymore? And more importantly … how would she ever cope when she returned to Europe to tidy up her loose ends and finish off fulfilling her commitments? She removed her make up and then called Ryan to tell him that she was on her way back to Newport. He promised to leave within the next hour. They would actually get to spend an evening together.

---

Emily was exhausted. Sandy, Kirsten and Keith had kept her on the go all day. Sandy had politely explained to Keith about the fact that Ryan and Marissa needed some time alone and he had been happy to help with their plan. When Emily had looked like she would have liked a nap after lunch because she could barely keep her eyes open, they had taken her to the playground instead. She had been for walks on the beach, played soccer, and been shopping; anything and everything that would tire her out. One or the other had been keeping her moving to ensure that tonight when Ryan and Marissa got home she would be safely tucked in bed and sound asleep. Kirsten made her dinner at 5 o'clock and when Marissa walked in the door, she just got to say goodnight to Emily before she was out like a light.

Keith was going to a movie with Samantha, the girl from Victoria's Secret and Sandy and Kirsten offered to drop him at her house on their way home. Marissa smiled and she thanked them all as they left. She knew that they were exhausted. Keeping a four year old busy for the day could do that to you. But she knew that they had done it deliberately so that she and Ryan could spend the evening together … hopefully without interruption. Of course they had no idea that she and Ryan had already managed to find some time together today. But she wasn't complaining. That had just been an appetiser. Tonight they would be able to have the main course. After the others had left, Marissa made her way back inside and quickly had a shower to freshen up. She couldn't wait for Ryan to get home. She picked up the phone and ordered Thai remembering to get his favourites and opened a bottle of wine. She had a feeling that this was going to be a night to be remembered.

---

Thursday morning, Ryan was sitting at his desk trying to get some work done. It was difficult when all he could think about as he glanced around his office was his 'visit' from Marissa yesterday. It seemed as if the memory was burned in to his brain. He kept looking about the room, imagining other possibilities of places and positions that they hadn't yet tried. He hoped that they would get a chance sometime to try them all out. He knew that his office was not exactly a bastion of privacy from the looks and comments that Annabel had made after Marissa had left yesterday. She obviously knew exactly what had been going on behind the closed door. Still if he had to put up with a bit of embarrassment in order to get what he got … then he would happily do it again anytime.

Although really what he needed most right now was a good night's sleep. When he'd arrived home last night, thanks to Sandy and Kirsten apparently, Emily was already in bed sound asleep. Marissa had been waiting with a glass of wine, candles and his favourite Thai. Dessert had been Marissa in her Victoria's Secret outfit that he had finally gotten to see. And she was right … he did like it on her … but he preferred it off her. They had made sweet sweet love the whole night, pausing only long enough to recover before starting again. It wasn't the frenzied coupling that had taken place in his office but slow and passionate. They had been sure that Emily would wake up at some time so they had decided to make the most of the opportunities they had, figuring that they would get some sleep once she was in bed with them. But she had slept through the night; which meant that neither of them had gotten more than a couple of hours sleep after finally collapsing in one another's arms, totally spent, about 4 am.

So he was tired … more than that ... he was exhausted. His body ached. They had tried things that he wasn't even sure were in the Kama Sutra. And it was good … really good ... he couldn't wipe the smile off his face. Just the thought of it enough to have his body begin to respond again. If they got the opportunity, then they'd do it again ... and again ... just like last night. He wondered what their chances of getting any time together would be like this weekend. He needed to sort out just what was going on and so he picked up the phone to call Sue. He knew that she would be able to help him with what he needed to know.

---

Marissa and Emily were out beside the pool when the phone rang. She looked at the caller id and quickly answered it.

"Hey you." She said smiling as she did so.

"Hey. How's my beautiful girls?" Ryan asked.

"Right now? Not very beautiful." She replied.

"Impossible." Ryan commented.

"Yeah … well … Emily decided she wanted to do a painting for you for your office. Sandy and Kirsten bought her some finger paints yesterday when they were all out shopping. So Em's trying to paint with her left hand and I've been trying to help. But I think that I have more paint on me than on the paper. I'm not sure that green is my colour?" Marissa explained.

"Finger painting hey? I think I'd like to do some finger painting." Ryan suggested.

"Well you'd be welcome to join in. I'll make sure we keep you some paint and paper and you can have a go when you get home." Marissa said.

"I don't want paper." Ryan replied. "I was thinking a naked you as my canvass. Then I could use my fingers to …"

"Ryan …." Marissa smiled.

"I promise I wouldn't hurt." He said seductively.

"Ry! " Marissa said mock indignantly.

"What?" Ryan asked innocently. "I'd even volunteer to help wash it all off when I was finished." He added.

"Ever the gentleman." Marissa smiled.

"I promise I'd be gentle." He replied huskily.

She thought for a moment and replied. "That sort of sounds like fun. But I think we should wait until we are alone. You never know where it might lead."

"I think I know. Or at least I know where I'd like it to lead." Ryan replied.

Marissa laughed. "I don't know about you, and I never thought I'd say this. But I actually think I've had enough of you for just right now. My whole body is exhausted. Good exhausted. But exhausted nonetheless."

"I know what you mean." he laughed. "But we do have good recuperative powers." He added.

"True. But since Emily arrived, it really seems to be a feast or a famine with us doesn't it?" she laughed. "But I'm sure that's not what you really called about. Have you spoken to Sue yet?" Marissa asked.

"Yep. We're all organised. Apparently Cheryl is coming on quite well. She is out of the coma now. They just heavily sedate her to help her rest, but she is very keen to see Emily. Sue's been talking to her every day. And I have made an appointment for Emily tomorrow afternoon to get her arm checked out. I thought we'd fly up in the morning. I'll actually go and do a bit of work while you and Keith take Emily to see Cheryl and I'll meet you back at the hospital in time for Emily's appointment. I'll get Annabel to book us some rooms for the night and then we can go back and see Cheryl again on Saturday before we come home."

"So we can still go to Sandy and Kirsten's for lunch on Sunday?" Marissa asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Ryan asked.

"It's just that Summer called earlier and said we had to be there because she had a surprise for Emily. I have no idea what it is but I haven't told Emily about it yet because I didn't want to disappoint her if we weren't going to be back in time." Marissa explained.

"No. We'll be back Saturday night. If that's all okay with you?" Ryan asked.

"Yep. It's fine. I'll make sure I let Keith know." Marissa responded.

"Okay. I'd better go and try to get some work done if I'm going to be out of town tomorrow."

"Okay. I'll see you tonight." Marissa replied. "I'll be thinking of you."

"Same here." Ryan said and he hung up.

He looked at the phone thinking about his beautiful fiancé. Much as he was disappointed that Marissa wasn't pregnant, he had to admit to having second thoughts about the joys of parenthood – at least as far as the way it had affected their bedroom activities. He figured that Mother Nature was pretty remarkable. If you started your family in the normal way … with a new baby … then you would be too tired to want to be too active sexually. You would be gently weaned in to this sexual ration's business. But with Emily's arrival, they had jumped from maximum to minimum in one foul swoop. It hadn't been pleasant. The last 24 hours had been a godsend. He shook his head trying to refocus on the work in front of him. He was 25 and a successful businessman. What was it about Marissa that had him thinking with his dick like a 15 year old schoolboy? He smiled. He really didn't know the answer to that but then again did he really care?


	92. The checkup

**The check up**

As it turned out on Friday morning, only 5 of them made the trip to San Francisco. Annabel had a head cold and Skip advised her against flying, so she stayed in LA. Emily was very quiet on the flight up. Quite a change from the excited little girl that had jumped around between them on the way to LA, but both Ryan and Marissa knew that she was a little scared about seeing her mother. It wasn't that she didn't want to see Cheryl but the last time she had seen her, Cheryl had been in a coma and that was all that Emily could remember. They were sure that now that Cheryl was conscious, things would be different. Ryan had a car waiting for them when they arrived and he dropped Marissa, Emily and Keith off at the hospital before heading off to a couple of meetings and to do some building inspections, promising to return before Emily's appointment.

When they got to Cheryl's room, Keith told Marissa that he would stay outside while she and Emily went in to see Cheryl but Emily wouldn't hear of it. She and Keith had become good friends in the last week. He played soccer with her every day. And he was always around to help when they went shopping and he kept the paparazzi at bay, for which Emily was very thankful. They scared her and when Keith was around they didn't come anywhere near her and Marissa. And right know, as she stood at the door of her mother's room, she was scared, so she wanted Keith with her. Some how in her 4 year-old brain, she had decided that if he was with her then she didn't need to be scared. Keith relented easily … anything for Emily, who had managed to twist him around her little finger from day one.

But when Marissa opened the door, there was nothing to be scared of. Cheryl was sitting in a chair waiting for them and she was overcome with emotion as soon as she saw her small daughter. Emily, after some initial trepidation because she couldn't touch her mother, had been excited as well. They talked and talked, Emily telling her mother all about her new room and about Sandy and Kirsten and Seth and Summer, and about her general life in Newport. Marissa had to interrupt Emily just to introduce Keith and Cheryl had shyly thanked him for his efforts in keeping her daughter amused. Marissa could see that Cheryl wasn't exactly comfortable with a stranger in the room but as Emily proceeded to hold centre stage, Cheryl relaxed.

---

When Ryan had finished with his work he made his way back to the hospital. It was just after 3 and he was hoping to get something to eat before they had to go to Emily's appointment at four. He made his way to Cheryl's room and softly opened the door. They all turned and he was hit by a flying Emily around the legs.

"And this is Wyan." She explained to Cheryl, stopping her previous story in mid sentence.

"Hello Ryan." Cheryl said.

Ryan nodded. "Cheryl. It's nice to finally meet you." Ryan said as he walked over to stand beside Marissa who instantly reached to hold his hand.

"Well we did already meet. Just not formally." She said. "But I want thank you. Emily has been telling me all about your house and I can't thank you enough for what you have done for her."

"It's nothing. We're enjoying ourselves." He said smiling as he looked at Marissa. His eyes secretly telling her that he may not have been able to say the same thing a couple of days ago when they had been a mess of sexual frustration, but right now all things were good.

"So your work is all under control?" Marissa asked changing the subject.

"Yeah. For now at least. I was wondering if I could talk you guys in to coming to lunch with me?" Ryan asked.

"We've already had lunch silly." Emily replied.

Ryan reached out and tickled her. "Who are you calling silly, missy?"

Emily chuckled. "You. We had lunch ages ago."

"Sorry Ryan. We all went to the cafeteria a while ago. Emily was hungry and Cheryl had a visit from her doctor so we took the opportunity to have lunch then." Marissa explained. "But I could go a cup of coffee and keep you company while you eat." she suggested.

"Okay. And what about you Missy? Are you going to come with us?" Ryan asked.

"No. Can I stay here with Mommy?" Emily asked.

"Well, I don't think …" Marissa started, concerned that Emily might try to touch Cheryl or get up to some mischief while they were away.

"Keith will look after me. " Emily added.

Marissa looked at Keith, a question in her eyes.

Keith shrugged. A smile on his face. "Fine with me. If you don't need me."

"I think we can cope in the hospital cafeteria alone." Ryan said. "We won't be long and we'll even bring you back a coffee."

"Sounds good." Keith replied.

---

Emily's check up went well. Her doctor had removed her cast and she now just had a light one on that he recommended she wear just for extra support while her bones strengthened. But she could take it off to bathe or go swimming. The doctor had actually suggested swimming to help improve her muscle tone and strength. Emily was so excited by the prospect of finally being able to get into the pool that much as she was enjoying being able to see her mother, she couldn't wait to get back to Newport.

---

After leaving a tied Cheryl, Ryan drove them to their hotel for the night. Keith had plans to catch up with some friends and had invited Skip to join him for a night on the town; promising to show Skip all the best local haunts. Ryan, Marissa and Emily spent a quiet night in their hotel suite. They had room service followed by a movie and popcorn and Emily fell asleep between them on the sofa. Ryan carried her to her bed and after tucking her safely in bed he returned to sit beside Marissa. Sliding his arm around her he pulled her towards him and softly started to run his tongue around the edge of her ear. Marissa pretended to be totally engrossed in the movie and ignored what he was doing although on the inside he was turning her to mush.

Ryan persisted, knowing that at some point she would react and when he saw the edges of her mouth start to turn upwards he knew he was getting close. As he moved to repeat the movement, Marissa suddenly turned her head and his tongue was met by hers as her mouth took his in a deep and passionate kiss. Minutes later, when they came up for air, Ryan said. "I think you missed something on the movie."

Marissa smiled. "So you're telling me I should be watching the movie and not making out with you?"

"I'd never say that." He smiled. "I just thought that you wanted to see the finish?" he added.

"What I want right now …" she started and reached down for the remote to turn off the TV. "is for you" she kissed him lightly as she pulled him to stand beside her "and me" she kissed him again as she started to pull him towards the door of their bedroom "to take this" she pushed Ryan through the door, kissing him again "where little eyes can't see." Once she had pushed Ryan down on their bed, Marissa moved back to close and lock the door. "Do you have any problems with that?" she asked as she started to slowly unbutton her blouse.

Ryan watched each movement of her fingers, wishing he could fast forward them. "None at all." He replied.

---

Saturday morning, when Ryan went to check on Skip and Keith, he found that they were a little worse for wear. It turned out their night out on the town was more of a night and a morning. Neither one could remember (or was admitting to being able to remember) just what they had got up to, but they both had phone numbers written on their arms that they swore they had no idea what they were for or how they got there. Needless to say, Skip needed to get some more rest so that he would be in reasonable shape to fly them home so he stayed at the hotel and had some more sleep, while the others all went to the hospital to visit Cheryl. Skip, was going to meet them all, later in the day, at the airport.

Cheryl was pleased to see them all and again, Emily kept them entertained. And when Ryan offered to go and get coffee for everyone, he was surprised when Keith suggested that Marissa go with him to help carry the coffees, while Keith stayed with Emily and Cheryl. Ryan had thought that Keith would probably have been looking for an opportunity to get out of the room and leave the girls to their chatter. But maybe he was too tired or too hung over to want to move very far. Ryan wasn't complaining … if it meant he got to spend more time with Marissa then it was fine by him.

As they left Cheryl's room and headed off to the cafeteria, Marissa turned to Ryan and asked. "Did that seem unusual to you?"

"What?" Ryan asked.

"Was it just me or was Keith looking to push us out of the room?" she asked.

"Maybe he's just tired … or maybe he's still working as Sandy's agent and trying to give us alone time …" Ryan suggested.

"Or maybe he enjoys spending time with Cheryl and Emily?" Marissa suggested.

Ryan thought for a moment and then shook his head. "You don't really think so do you?"

"I'm not sure. I know he dotes on Emily and he certainly seems comfortable with the two of them." She added.

"Yeah. But comfortable is one thing; interested is a whole different ball game." Ryan replied.

"Hmmm. We'll just have to wait and see. I don't think that Cheryl will be ready to look at anybody for quite a while yet. Besides her injuries, she is still grieving. But then again, I'm sure it couldn't hurt her self esteem if a certain eligible bachelor was interested in spending time with her and from the looks of things he is." Marissa added.

Ryan smiled. "Speaking of eligible bachelors …" he started. They were just about to pass the small meeting room that they had used last week.

Marissa tried the door and finding it empty she quickly pulled him inside. "Let's just get one thing perfectly clear. You are not an eligible bachelor."

"I'm not?" Ryan queried as she pushed him up against the wall.

"No. And don't bother coming over as all innocent on me now. You're taken and you know it." Marissa kissed him deeply wanting to remind him exactly what they had together.

"Ah yes. It's all coming back to me. But I think I need to be reminded more often." Ryan replied between kisses.

"You'll never get enough will you?" Marissa asked smiling as she did so.

"Uh uh" Ryan responded "But we'd better go and get the coffees or Keith will send out a search party for us. He doesn't like you to be out of his sight for too long."

They made their way back into the hall way and to the cafeteria. As they reached the door , Marissa's phone rang and she reached in her bag for it. Ryan walked inside and said "You get that and I'll go order the coffees."

Marissa looked at the caller id and instantly her hand started to shake. She stepped back into the hall, out of the sight of Ryan and leaned against the wall while she waited until the phone stopped ringing. She could feel her heart start to race and sweat form on her upper lip. When the voicemail beep sounded, she pushed the relevant buttons and held the phone to her ear. The heavily accented male voice said. "Marissa. It's me. I need to talk to you. It's important. Call me." She deleted the message instantly and took a deep breath, trying to settle her nerves. She thought to herself… that was one phone call she would never be making. She just hoped that Ryan wouldn't ask about it otherwise she was going to have to lie to him again. There was no way that she could let him know about these calls. They could destroy everything. She tried to pull herself together and plaster a smile onto her face as she walked into the cafeteria to join Ryan. Now is when she hoped that those acting classes would pay off because she really needed to be a good actress.

---

When it came time to leave, Cheryl got very emotional. She had been informed earlier about Ryan's assistance with the rent on her house and she had been trying to find an opportunity to discuss it with him but hadn't. Just before they were about to leave she blurted it out and promised him that somehow she would repay him. Ryan quickly told her there was no need. He just wanted her to concentrate on getting better. Cheryl assured him that she would and that she couldn't thank Ryan and Marissa enough for taking care of her daughter.

But as soon as Cheryl said the words, Ryan noticed Marissa's face change. It was as if a shadow had been cast over her. Marissa was very quiet when they left the hospital. Ryan needed to talk to her about it but he thought he already knew the cause because it had affected him as well. There was a problem. And it was, that some how or other, they had started to think of Emily as theirs. But Cheryl's words just made them realise that she wasn't. Emily was on loan and one day, when Cheryl was better she would go back to live with her mother. Neither of them was looking forward to that day. She had become too much a part of their lives.

Much as they complained about their lack of 'alone time', everything had settled down the last few nights. Emily had slept through. They had been able to complete what they started without interruption. And all was good. Neither of them could imagine not having her with them anymore. Maybe if Marissa had been pregnant then the thought of Emily leaving may not have been quite so shocking. They would have had a child of their own to look forward to. But since she wasn't … they were going to have to come to terms with the fact that Emily was not theirs and that at some point she would go and leave them alone. Funny how only a few days ago, the thought of being alone together was what they most desired. Now it seemed like a black cloud on the horizon. Hopefully it was still a long way off.

---

Sunday lunch was going well. Ryan and Marissa, with the help of Emily of course, had brought everyone up to date on what had happened in San Francisco and then the inevitable wedding discussions had started yet again. Ryan and Marissa had no chance of changing the subject because Summer's surprise for Emily was to ask her to be her flower girl. Emily hadn't known what a flower girl was, but once it was explained to her and the promise of a beautiful dress had been made then it was all she could talk about. Now Ryan and Marissa were going to be hounded with wedding talk at home as well. They could hardly wait … NOT!

Ryan kept looking across at Marissa and trying to commiserate with her across the table by sight alone. It was hard but the glances they exchanged were enough to know that their burden was shared. They couldn't get out of there fast enough. Fortunately they made an excuse about having been out of town and the fact that Ryan had some work to catch up on to escape; much to Emily's disgust of course. She wanted to talk dresses with Summer and Kirsten but Marissa assured her that since Summer still hadn't decided on a definite date, she would have plenty of time.

Summer had actually made one decision. Or partial decision would be closer to it. She had decided that she would like to be a summer bride, she thought it was only fitting that Summer be married in summer, so that meant they still had at least 9 or 10 months until the wedding. Marissa couldn't help but think … 9 or 10 months … just enough time for them to have a child of their own. Was that just coincidence? … Or fate trying to tell her something?

Ever since she had left Cheryl, she couldn't help but think what life would be like without Emily. Maybe they really should think about starting a family? But … nothing had changed. She still needed to go back to Paris and finish up her commitments over there. But after yesterday's phone call, she wasn't sure if she wanted to return there or not.

---

_**A/N Just thought I'd let you know that I'm going away for a few days. I'll be back next week. If I get a chance I'll try to post again before I leave.**_


	93. The Calm before The Storm

_Okay I'm back. I'll try to post get back on track and post at least once a day from now on. There's interesting times ahead. And you'll find out about the caller soon._

**The Calm before the Storm**

Sunday night after Emily was in bed, Ryan and Marissa were cuddled up on the sofa, both pretending to watch a movie, whilst their minds were busily preoccupied with thoughts of their own. Ryan glanced at Marissa, only to realise that she wasn't watching at all, but was looking out the window at the blackness of the ocean. He silently stroked her arm and Marissa looked over at him guiltily. She had been thinking about the phone call earlier in the day and wondering what he could have wanted. She had been considering whether she should talk to Ryan about it but she knew that it would only cause problems between them. He would be angry that she had kept it a secret and the longer she did, the harder it would be to tell him. Whatever the call was about, she wasn't interested. It was a part of her life that was over as far as she was concerned. She didn't want to be dragged back into it. If she told Ryan, she knew that there was no way that he would agree with the way she wanted to handle things. It would only lead to arguments. And she didn't want that. She was enjoying her time with him too much to do that. They had too many years apart to make up for. She wouldn't put what they had now at risk.

Ryan thought she was worried about the thought of them losing Emily. He wanted to talk to her about her reaction to Cheryl's words and to tell her not to get too attached to Emily but how could he do that when he was just of enamoured of the small girl himself. He knew that he was ready for them to start a family of their own when ever she was. And he thought that if Marissa was pregnant then, when the time came for Emily to return, it mightn't be so difficult. . But he also knew that Marissa wanted to wait until she had her life in order and he didn't want to put any pressure on her. He knew that she still had a lot of things to resolve, with relocating and work. He didn't want to add to it all so he wasn't going to pressure her. Yet, even though he knew that she wanted to make her own decisions, he just hoped that she would come to the right decisions herself. He just needed to let her know that he was there to support her with whatever she decided. He would be ready whenever she was ready. He went to open his mouth, trying to find the right words to tell her all that he was thinking … but the words wouldn't come.

She looked at him expectantly, knowing that something was on his mind. "What?" Marissa asked.

"It's nothing." Ryan answered. He'd changed his mind about trying to deal with something that there was no answer to. He decided there was no point in getting worried about something that they had no control over. They would just deal with it when the time came.

"I don't believe you. I could almost hear the wheels turning in there." Marissa said. She figured that as long as she kept the attention on Ryan then he wouldn't ask what she was thinking about.

Ryan quickly tried to find another topic to talk about. He could tell that Marissa wasn't going to let it lie. "What do you think about Emily being a flower girl?" he asked.

Marissa smiled. "I think she will be beautiful."

"Yeah." Ryan agreed.

"But I also think that she might send us mental before the time comes." Marissa added.

"She does seem to be excited by the whole idea. Do you think that is just because it is something new? Surely she will settle down? She won't be like this for the next nine months?" Ryan asked.

"I wouldn't be so sure. I think that Emily could carry this level of excitement for quite some time. Maybe, she is related to Summer. Summer certainly hasn't calmed down at all. This wedding of hers …" Marissa started and then stopped. She didn't want to sound jealous because she wasn't. Was she?

"You were saying?" Ryan asked.

"Nothing." Marissa shrugged.

"Not nothing. This time I'm the one that doesn't believe you." Ryan entwined his fingers with hers and continued. "I know it's hard listening to all of Summer's plans. But I was thinking …I guess there is no reason why we couldn't tell everyone about our plans now? You know …" he shrugged ... announce our engagement. Would that make things easier?" he asked.

Marissa looked down at their interlaced hands. She traced the veins in his hand with her free hand. She was amazed that she was intrigued with everything that made him … uniquely HIM. She shook her head and sighed then added. "Much as I would love to tell the world … I don't think that the time is right. I know they would all be pleased for us. Summer has even been hinting to me that I should give you a shove in that direction and it has been all I can do to stop her from doing it herself. But …"

"But ..?" Ryan urged her to continue.

"I'm a bit scared that she is hoping that if we do get engaged then we could have a double wedding. She has mentioned it. But I have just laughed and taken it in jest but I'm not sure that she is joking?" Marissa said,

"Would you want that?" Ryan asked. It didn't sound like his sort of thing at all. But he knew he would do anything for Marissa.

"God no. Summer and I might agree on a lot of things but our tastes in weddings are completely different. But I'm not sure that somewhere in Summer's mind she's not thinking that if she procrastinates long enough, then it could happen." Marissa replied.

Ryan thought about what she had said. "So what sort of wedding do you want?" he asked.

Marissa looked at him, the love evident in her eyes. "Something small and intimate." She replied softly, dropping her eyes to look at his hand again, not sure if she should give away just how much time she had spent thinking about the very question. "I figure we spend enough time in the public eye getting more attention than we want. The last thing I need is an audience. In truth …" she looked back into his eyes. "All I need is you."

For a moment, Ryan was stunned. It was all … she was all … he had ever wanted. He could feel a lump in his throat that was making it difficult to swallow. When he finally managed to get some words out, he said simply. "You've got me."

---

Life settled down in the Atwood/Cooper household. Ryan was busy at work but was commuting back and forth to LA each day, and except for his days being longer, he'd decided that it was definitely worth the effort. Marissa and Emily were enjoying their time together at Newport. With Keith's assistance they were able to move around pretty much as they wanted. It wasn't that the paparazzi had given up on them all together but with Keith around at least nobody was harassing them. Emily was spending hour's everyday in the pool and she was getting stronger each day. She wasn't allowed to be in there on her own, so the adults would take it in turns to 'swim' with her. Keith and Marissa would cover the day and as soon as Ryan walked through the door in the evening, she would drag him in to watch how much better she was doing with her 'swimming.' It was one of Marissa's happiest times of the day. And of course it had the added bonus that it tired Emily out completely so that once she was in bed, they didn't hear from her until the morning and that meant that Ryan and Marissa had a lot more time to themselves than they had when Emily had first come to stay.

---

Marissa took up her position in a chair beside the pool to watch Emily show off to Ryan. She knew that, as in previous evenings, when she got tired of watching Emily then she could just watch a topless Ryan in the water. She didn't think that she would ever tire of looking at him. To her eyes, he was perfect. She watched the movement of his muscles as he gracefully moved through the water. His wet skin glistening as the lights reflected off his gorgeous body. The chuckle that emanated from him when responding to Emily's antics sent goose bumps over her skin. He was totally unaware of the effect that he had on her as he played with Emily in the water. But in truth all Marissa could think of by that point was getting Emily fed and in to bed so that she could have that body all to herself. She couldn't get enough of him.

Ever since their visit to Cheryl, Marissa had been thinking about whether to confide in Ryan about the phone calls. Part of her wanted to. But she didn't think she could do it. She had too much to lose and she wasn't prepared to put all this at risk. Plus he hadn't called again. So maybe this time he had finally gotten the message. If she told Ryan, she could be jeopardising all this for no good reason. And that would be just stupid she convinced herself. Better to just enjoy every day as it came she figured. Hopefully they would never try to contact her again.

She should have known better.


	94. The Storm

**The Storm**

After the call, Ryan left work early. He needed to talk to Marissa. And now. He thought that she would be devastated by the news and so he wanted to be able to talk to her in person. But in truth part of him wished he could have stayed at work. Anything to delay telling her what he knew she would have been dreading for weeks. They should have talked about this earlier.

As he drove along the freeway heading back to Newport, he tried to think of how he could break the news without it breaking her heart at the same time. But he didn't think that was possible. In truth, he knew, he was concentrating so hard on the effects it would have on Marissa because he didn't want to consider the effects the news was having on himself. He tried running through various options in his head, trying to find the best words to tell her but nothing seemed to do the trick.

It seemed that they still hadn't managed to get over their issues from high school. They couldn't manage anymore than a few weeks drama free before something out of their control sent things suddenly awry. He pulled into the garage at Newport and turned off the car and just sat there. All of a sudden he didn't want to even get out of the vehicle wanting to delay things as much as possible.

---

Marissa, Emily and Keith were returning from a walk on the beach when they saw Ryan's car turn the corner and then pull into the driveway. Marissa glanced at her watch and wondered why he was so early but she was just excited to see him. She began to quicken her steps and then turned to Keith "I'm just going to run ahead. Will you stay and bring Emily with you?"

"Sure." Keith replied.

Marissa started to jog. She wanted to get home a fast as possible, knowing that she hadn't left Ryan a note so he would get inside and wonder where they all were. But when she got to the house Ryan was still sitting in the car. She walked up to the driver's door and opened it. Ryan was startled. He had thought that they were all inside the house and that he'd have a bit more time to compose himself.

"Hey. You're early." Marissa learned in and gave him a quick kiss. "Did you run away or get let out for good behaviour?"

Ryan grimaced. She was in such a good mood. How could he destroy it?

"Or could you just not bear to be away from me for a moment longer?" she asked.

"Something like that." He replied trying to smile but failing.

Marissa started to drag him out of the car. "You'll be able to come for a swim with Emily and I." she started and then realised that he wasn't returning her smile. "Ryan. What is it? Is something wrong?" she asked just as Keith and Emily joined them.

"Wyan." Emily cried out as she raised her arms to him wanting a cuddle.

Ryan stepped out of the car and quickly picked the small girl up and held her to him, not wanting to ever let go. "Hey Em. How's my girl?" he got out.

"I'm dood. We've been down at the beach and I found some pwetty shells but Marissa wouldn't let me keep them all." She said sadly, a big pout on her face.

"That's because you wanted to bring them all home. Even Keith couldn't carry that many. But I did let you bring home your special few." Marissa explained.

"Yeah. They are all in my pocket." Chimed in Keith.

"Well. I'd love to have a look. But maybe you and Keith could go and wash them for me first." Ryan said. He looked up at Keith. "Would you mind?" Ryan asked.

"Sure." Keith shrugged. "No problem." He took Emily from Ryan sensing that Ryan had something important that he wanted to speak with Marissa about.

"Come on Em. Let's go out by the pool. We can wash these and make sure there are no little animals living inside because otherwise the animals will die and then your shells will smell terrible." He scrunched up his nose. "And then we'll dry them off and polish them all so they will look extra special for when you show Ryan."

"Otay." Emily said happily … totally unaware of the silent undertones.

Marissa looked at Ryan concerned now about the way he had brushed Emily off. He never did that. He always gave her all his attention when he first came home. Marissa always got her share of attention later, after Emily had gone to bed. There was definitely something wrong. "Ry." She frowned. "What's going on?"

Ryan took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Let's go inside." He suggested.

"Ryan. What is it? You're starting to worry me." Marissa said.

Ryan looked at her and shook his head. Desperately wishing there was something else that he could do. But there wasn't. He took another deep breathe trying to steady his nerves and calm the nausea in his stomach. "We need to talk."

---

Marissa sat on the sofa with her head buried in her hands. She was leaning forward; her elbows on her knees and her hands holding up her head that now felt like it weighed a ton. She ran her fingers through her hair and with considerable effort she raised her head to Ryan and simply said. "When?"

Ryan was surprised by her reaction. He had expected something else … something different. Maybe tears? Certainly something other than this feigned acceptance of the inevitable. "They asked for tomorrow." Marissa looked at him with panic in her eyes before he added "But I told them that was impossible. That we couldn't possibly do it. But since we were supposed to take Emily to see Cheryl this weekend anyhow … I couldn't put them off any longer. So we have to have her back by Sunday at the latest."

Marissa nodded. "So three days." He nodded. "How did they track down her grandparents?" Marissa asked stoically.

Ryan watched her intently, waiting for a sign of how she was really feeling about this. He knew that it would be tearing her apart inside and yet she was steadfastly talking about it as if she had been expecting it. It worried him that she could put up this front that seemed almost impenetrable. That she could shut her feelings off so easily. It was obviously a strategy that she had learned to cope with things while they had been apart but he didn't like it at all. He would have rather had her sobbing on his shoulder than this seemingly aloof person in front of him who was in such rigid control. "They didn't. Apparently Cheryl's parents had been trying to call her and just thought they were timing their calls badly to when she was out. After a couple of weeks of not being able to reach her they eventually tracked down her next door neighbours who told them what had happened. They got in touch with the hospital yesterday morning."

"Maybe they won't want to interrupt their holiday?" Marissa suggested hopefully.

Ryan shook his head. "No. They actually offered to fly home yesterday. But after talking to Cheryl and being assured that there was no urgency, they decided to drive back. They will probably get back to San Francisco either late tonight or early tomorrow." Ryan explained. He looked at Marissa who was still showing little emotion and added "For what it's worth, I did try calling the attorney to see if we would have any chance of retaining custody once Emily's grandparents return but he assured me that it would be impossible. The judge had made it quite clear that the temporary custody was only approved until a relative could be found to care for her."

"I'd better go and pack her things." Marissa said standing up to go to Emily's room.

Ryan walked in front of her to stop her in her tracks. "There's plenty of time for that. Why don't we just go and spend what time we have left with her?" he asked.

Marissa looked at Ryan and for a moment he saw his own sorrow mirrored in her eyes. She nodded but didn't move. It was as if she had forgotten how to function all of a sudden.

"Didn't you say that you were going for a swim with her?" Ryan suggested trying to motivate Marissa.

Marissa nodded.

"Well how about we do that?" He suggested.

Marissa nodded again and then looked back at Ryan. "Do you think she will be happy to leave?" Marissa asked.

"I don't know." He replied. "But I think that we have to try to get her to look at it positively. That she will be with her grandparents and she will be near her mother. I'm sure she will enjoy that. But I know that she will miss you."

"And you." Marissa added.

"And Keith." Ryan smiled.

"And Sandy and Kirsten." Marissa added to the game.

"And maybe even Seth and Summer." Ryan suggested.

"And the wedding plans." Marissa said.

"Actually for once we actually have a reason to look forward to this wedding because it means that Emily will have to come for a visit. Remember when Cheryl gets out of hospital, we have already told her that she is welcome here whenever she likes so maybe we'll still get to see some of her." Ryan said.

Marissa nodded. She knew that Ryan was trying to make her feel better. But right now she was trying not to feel at all. It was as if she had anaesthetised her heart. She knew that if she didn't, it would break at the thought of losing this little girl who had become so much a part of her life. She was trying hard to hold it all together. It's wasn't as if they didn't know at the start that Emily was 'on loan' but that hadn't stopped them from totally falling for the little girl. She had wormed her way into their hearts and when she left she would leave a gaping hole that nothing would replace.

Ryan watched the play of emotions on Marissa's face. He could see that she was trying to shut down and he didn't want that to happen. If he had learnt anything over the years it was that they needed to deal with things as soon as possible and not let them fester. They only got worse. This Marissa who was in control on the outside but no doubt falling apart inside reminded him of when he had taken her to the Cohen's to see Julie … When Marissa had finally cracked it had scared him. He didn't want things to get to that point again. But how could he get through to her?

Marissa went to walk past Ryan towards the bedroom to get changed when he grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. "Ris?"

"What?" she asked trying to push him away – not wanting to let down the guard that she had put up, she wanted it to be impenetrable. But as Ryan resisted her efforts and just pulled her closer in to him she felt her resistance begin to fade and the emotions that she had been holding in check finally came to the surface. She broke down and sobbed into his chest as he held her tightly to him. "Why?" she sobbed. "Why us?" Even though she knew she was being irrational, all she could think of was that only a few short weeks ago they had been planning their lives around Emily and the possibility of a baby of their own on the way. Now, there was no baby and within days there would be no Emily. They would have nothing.

More importantly …SHE would have nothing.

Her work on the flim was finished. There would be nothing to stop her returning to Paris.


	95. The Readjustment

_Thought I'd give you a bonus post today to make up for being away for a few days. Enjoy !_

**The Re-Adjustment**

Ryan and Marissa decided to spend every minute they could of the next three days with Emily. Ryan called Annabel first thing on Friday morning and got her to reschedule all of his appointments for the day and they all went to Disneyland. Sandy and Kirsten joined them and it was magical to look at it all through the eyes of a 4 year old. Keith had his work cut out for him a few times to try to keep some of the over interested bystanders at a distance but nothing could spoil the day for them all. They let Emily chose where she wanted to go and what she wanted to do because she had never been there before and at the start she was a little over whelmed by it all. But she very quickly got in to the swing of things and had them all traipsing around after her. The smile plastered on her face evidence enough of how she enjoyed the day. When they tucked the exhausted but happy little girl in to her bed on Friday evening her last words to Marissa were "I love Mickey Mouse."

---

Saturday they spent a quiet day at the Newport house. Sandy and Kirsten came for lunch and so did Seth and Summer. A sad cloud seemed to hang over the table as they ate and yet Emily seemed to be totally oblivious to it all. As far as she was concerned she was going to see her grandparents on Sunday who she obviously adored. The realisation of leaving Ryan and Marissa had not really sunk in for her but it was obvious from the looks on their faces that they were well aware of what it meant to them.

---

During the week after Emily returned to San Francisco, Ryan started to worry about Marissa. They were back living in the apartment in LA so that Ryan didn't have to commute for so long each day. Keith was staying in one of the spare bedrooms with them but Marissa seemed so out of sorts that everything that Keith did seemed to annoy her. She didn't think that she needed him around anymore and complained about it constantly to Ryan. So, just to keep the peace, Ryan arranged an apartment for Keith on the 1st floor of their building. At least that way he was close by, if and when Marissa needed him but he wasn't under her feet. Ryan suspected that Marissa was just missing Emily and that none of it was really Keith's fault. But he would do anything to try to put a smile on Marissa's face.

Then, of course, Keith started to have reservations about just whether he was actually needed or not but Ryan assured him that he was and arranged for him to spend time at Atwood Industries when Marissa was sure she didn't need him for the day. Unfortunately that seemed to be everyday, because Marissa didn't want to go out at all. She had lost interest in everything. When Ryan got home in the evenings she would usually be sitting in the lounge room pretending to read a book. But he'd noticed that she had read about 5 pages in 3 days. He had been hoping that she would pull herself out of this depression that she seemed to have sunk into but it didn't seem to be working so he knew he was going to have to do something about it.

---

Ryan stopped off on the way home from work and picked up some roses for Marissa. He knew the time had come to try to get her out of this sort of limbo that she was in. She wasn't hurting anybody but at the same time he knew that she wasn't happy and that was what was bothering him. He was missing Emily too but he had work everyday that kept him busy so he didn't have too much time to think about it. Because Marissa was spending each and every day closed up in the penthouse, she was doing nothing but dwelling on how different her life was without Emily. He knew she needed to find a new interest but he was scared that if he pushed it, she would want to leave LA and return to Europe. And that was the last thing that he wanted.

---

He walked in to the penthouse to find Marissa curled up with her book again.

"Hey." He said as he bent down to give her a kiss and hand over the roses.

She smiled up at him. "What did I do to deserve these?" she asked.

"I just thought I'd bring home some beautiful flowers for my beautiful fiancé and see if she would like to go out to dinner with me?" Ryan asked hoping that she would be prepared to get changed and join him. He knew if he gave her a choice then she would say no ... so he just wasn't going to give her the opportunity to decline.

"Not tonight." She said looking at him, the sadness evident in her eyes. "I'll order in." she suggested.

"Nope. No take out tonight." Ryan stated. "I feel like showing you off. I'll just go and have a quick shower while you change in to your glad rags." He said and then added. "Maybe we could even go dancing afterwards if you play your cards right." He teased as he made his way to their bedroom pulling his clothes off as he went.

Marissa watched him as he left the room. She knew exactly what he was trying to do. And part of her even acknowledged that it was the right thing. But she just didn't feel up to it. Her life seemed so …. pointless. Only a short time ago she had so much on her plate and the one thing she had been sure of was, that she wouldn't be a kept woman and yet here she was every day sitting here doing nothing. But it seemed that the only alternative was to pick up and return to Europe and she found that even more unpalatable.

She knew that she had no good reason for not going out but even so, the fact was, that she didn't feel up to facing the outside world. She sat there trying to think about how she could convince Ryan to stay in and she came up with an idea. She knew it was stooping pretty low but since she couldn't come up with a good reason, it was all she had. She stood up and walked towards their room.

---

Ryan had his head under the shower trying to wash out the last of the shampoo when he felt Marissa's arms snake around him as she moved to rub her naked body against his back. Momentarily closing his eyes trying to get his body under control he turned to her and said "Did you need to freshen up too?" he asked.

Marissa said nothing but started her assault on him with her lips. Beginning at his ears and slowly moving down his neck and over his shoulders, turning him around as she kissed across the back of his shoulders as her hands moved lower on his body.

"Ris." Ryan gasped. "What are you doing?" he was trying to retain some control. "We're supposed to be getting ready to go out to dinner."

She turned him back to his front again and moved lower on his body. The effects of her ministrations already obvious as his body responded to her every touch. She smiled. He may try to block out what she was doing with his mind but his body was hers for the taking. She stood back up again, this time sliding her now wet body over his. Her breasts moving over his chest as she watched him unable to break the spell she had him under.

Even though Ryan had an idea of what she was trying to do, he couldn't fight it. His body was like putty in her hands. He wanted to make her stop but there was no way that he could do it. "Don't you want to go out?" he asked, his breathing laboured as he hung on desperately to his last vestige of control.

"No. I want you in." she replied.

Ryan was puzzled. He new that his brain was foggy and not making much sense so he asked. "In what?"

"Me." she replied as she raised her leg to hook around his hip causing his hardness to meet her heat.

Ryan knew he was lost as he lifted her slightly and plunged in to her. She was a drug that he was completely addicted to. The talk would have to come later.

Much later.


	96. Where to now?

_Thanks for the reviews. They really do help to keep me motivated. I hope that you all like this chapter. I know that I do. Enjoy!_

**Where to now?**

Much later they were lying in bed together still entwined with one another. Ryan knew that any possibility of them going out for dinner had evaporated as soon as she had joined him in the shower. There was no way that he could resist her. And she knew it. He'd like to think that the reason she had joined him was because she had not been able to resist him but he thought it more likely that she'd just decided to work her magic on him to stop them from having to go out. And she had pulled him in just like the spider to the fly.

But it was now the fly's turn. He needed to get them out of bed and on to neutral territory so that he could talk to her. She held all the power between the sheets. He knew that any talk he started in the bed would probably end up unfinished as they became more interested in the physical effects they had on one another. He ran his fingers gently through her hair and said. "You may have stopped us from going out but we still need to eat. Otherwise I won't be able to keep up with you next time you want your way with me."

"Well we can't have you not 'keeping up'" Marissa replied. She turned to him and smiled. "How about we go and see what we can find in the kitchen? I could always make some of my famous mac and cheese." She suggested.

"Right now, that sounds pretty good." He responded sliding out of bed and pulling on some boxers. As he went to grab a t-shirt Marissa stopped him.

"You're not cold are you?" she asked.

"No. You've definitely had me in quite a sweat. Why?" he replied.

"I rather like the idea of a topless you at dinner." She replied.

Ryan smiled. "And what do I get in return?" he asked.

Marissa thought for a moment and then got out of bed and picked up his business shirt from the floor where he had dropped it on the way into the shower. She put it on and just did up one button in the middle. "How about a pantie less me." she suggested as she walked out the door.

Ryan smiled. The spider was trying to wrest back control. And try as he might he knew he was in trouble as he followed her out the door to the kitchen. But the thought of a nearly naked Marissa making him dinner as she moved around his kitchen was more than he could resist.

They'd talk after dinner.

---

Ryan insisted that they ate their mac and cheese at the dining room table. Even going to the trouble of lighting some candles for them to eat by. Marissa had been keen to eat in front of the TV, hoping to keep things casual. She told Ryan that there was something on TV that she didn't want to miss but he just offered to record it for her so she could watch it later. He knew that if she was in front of the TV then getting her to talk would be that much harder.

As soon as they'd finished eating Marissa stood up and went to clear the table but as she reached for Ryan's plate he took her hand and stopped her. "There's no hurry. Why don't you sit back down?" he suggested as he looked for a way to bring up what was on his mind.

Marissa was scared. She knew that look in Ryan's eye and she didn't like it. He wanted to 'talk' and not just about the weather and that was something that she wasn't ready for. She had no answers for him. Hell, she had no answers for herself. She quickly painted a smile on her face. "I'll sit back down …. but only if I can sit on you." she said sexily and quickly undid the single button that was holding Ryan's shirt together so that it fell open. She sat on his lap and instantly started to grind in to him. She smiled as she watched his eyes move from her face down to her breasts and she felt his body start to respond to her movements. She was sure that she could get him to forget about whatever was on his mind and steer him to more pleasant activities. But for once she was wrong.

Ryan took a long hard look at her beautiful breasts and then moved his hands towards them as Marissa held her breathe, waiting to feel his touch upon her when Ryan pulled the shirt closed and did up a few buttons.

Marissa hesitated for a moment and then continued to grind in to him. She knew that a certain part of his body was definitely interested in something other than talking and she knew just how to …

But Ryan's hands moved to her hips and held them firmly to stop her movement.

Marissa looked at him; her expression resembled that of a rabbit caught in the cross hairs.

"We've got a few things to talk about and there's no time like the present to do it. We need to sort this all out and it's not going to happen on its own." Ryan said trying to make it clear that he wasn't going to be distracted again.

Marissa looked at him trying desperately to find a way to delay the discussion. "What do we need to talk about?"

"You know what." Ryan stated simply.

Marissa shook her head.

"What are you doing?" Ryan asked.

"I was going to clean up and do the dishes but you stopped me." Marissa replied

"I don't mean that. I mean with your life?" Ryan asked.

Marissa didn't know how to respond so she bit back. "What are you suggesting? That I don't know what to do with it or that you don't approve of what I am doing with it?"

Ryan shook his head. How had this gone so wrong so quickly? He took her by the hand and walked into the lounge to sit on the sofa with her. If she was going to get upset then he wanted to be able to hold her and stop her from pulling away from him. Whenever she was scared or unsure of things, she would lash out and then get all defensive … he didn't want that to happen. Surely she understood that things couldn't go on as they had been. He tried to think of a way of raising the problem with her that she wouldn't take offence at. Once they were settled he linked his fingers with hers and said simply "What are you doing tomorrow?"

Marissa was surprised by his question. This wasn't the conversation she was expecting. "Nothing. Why?" She figured that maybe he had something planned.

"And the next day?" Ryan asked.

Marissa looked at him she knew the answer was the same so she chose not to answer at all.

Ryan took her silence for the answer that it was. "And the next day?" Ryan added. He waited until his words had sunk in. "Ris … it's no way to live your life … sitting here everyday."

"What do you want me to do? Go out and find a job? Are you sick of looking after me? Or do you just want me to go back to Europe to the jobs I do have. Then you can be rid of me all together." she said as she could feel the tears well in her eyes threatening to fall.

Ryan put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in to him. "That's the last thing I want." He replied simply. "You know I wouldn't care if you never worked again. But I do want you to be happy. And your not."

---

Ryan knew that she was upset with him and he braced himself for what would come next.

Marissa was now angry and defensive. "So you want me to be happy do you? Well you can't imagine that I'll be happy away from you?" she stated tersely. "Wanting to be with you is the only thing that I **am** sure of."

Ryan was shocked. That wasn't at all what he had been expecting from her. As her words hit him and he ran them through his mind once again, checking that he hadn't misunderstood, a small smile crept across his face. "That's probably the nicest thing you have ever said to me."

Marissa was taken aback. She hadn't really thought about it. She was angry with him for forcing this 'talk' upon her and the words had just come out. But it was true. Of all the things that had been going through her mind ever since Emily had left, that was the one thing that she was sure of. As it sunk in, she couldn't help but return his smile. "Yeah well don't let it go to your head."

"What about the opposite end of my torso?" he teased.

"Hey I already tried that but I got knocked back." She said.

"Not knocked back. Just delayed … postponed. You can have your way with me as soon as we go back to bed."

"Maybe I didn't want to do it in bed?" Marissa teased.

Ryan looked at her his eyebrows raised as he tried to imagine just what she had in mind. "You know I'm always up for something new."

"Promises, promises." She retorted. The tension between them had dissolved magically.

"Yeah they are." He kissed her lightly. "But now that we've sorted that much out, what next?"

Marissa shrugged. She knew that their light hearted banter was over and it was back to the serious issues at hand. "That's just it, I don't know." She shook her head. "I don't know what I **should** be doing." She looked at Ryan and continued. "Or what I **want** to be doing … I barely know what I **am** doing. Actually let me correct that … I **don't** know what I'm doing." She said.

Ryan nodded. "I think you need to split this up. Don't try to figure it all out at once."

"What do you mean?" Marissa asked.

"Well, I guess, in light of your earlier declaration that you do want to be with me …" Ryan couldn't help but smile.

"Don't push it buddy, I could always change my mind." Marissa added, a smile on her face, knowing full well that there was no way that she could or would change her mind. She hoped to feel the same way forever.

Ryan smiled and pulled her closer. "and the fact that I want to be with you … "

"You do?" Marissa asked feigning surprise.

"Uh huh. So it means …" Ryan started.

"That I need to pack up and move." Marissa finished for him.

Ryan looked at her, unsure if he was asking too much. "Do you mind? If you really don't want to, then I could try to scale things down here and maybe I could commute back and forth for a couple of weeks every month and …"

Marissa put a finger on his mouth stopping him. "I didn't like it when you were commuting from LA to Newport, I don't think that LA to Paris would work at all. And anyhow, I can model anywhere." She shrugged. "Sure the biggest and best designers are over there. But it's not as if LA is a complete backwater." She smiled. "And anyhow I'm not even sure if I want to keep modelling. I guess I will in the short term but maybe I could try something else."

"I think that's a great idea…. But that's what I was trying to say about don't try to figure it all out at once. Let's get the move over and done with first and then when you are settled you can have a look around at what you might want to do. I think you have just been trying to sort everything out all at once and it was just too difficult." He suggested.

"Okay oh wise one. So what's next?" she asked realising that she did feel better about things knowing that she could take it one step at a time. Everything started to fall into place and before he could reply she added. "I guess that I should go back to Europe and finish up my work over there and then look into either selling my apartment or leasing it. But it means that I will be away for a while and I really don't want to leave you."

"How long do you think you will need to get everything finished off over there?" Ryan asked.

"If I give the photographers some notice so that I can have the jobs all lined up one after another then I should be able to get all the shoots done in a couple of weeks and then maybe another week to sort out my apartment. So about 3 weeks. Do you think I should sell it or lease it?" she asked.

"I think that we'll decide that when we get there." Ryan said.

Marissa did a double take. "Did you say WE?"

Ryan smiled. "As long as you can wait a couple of weeks, then yes … WE. I have a conference in Las Vegas the weekend after next that I am the keynote speaker for, so I have to be here for that. But if I spend my time up to then, working my butt off then somehow or other after that, I will come with you for 3 whole weeks." he said, a grin plastered on his face as he looked at the delighted expression on her face.

Marissa felt like her heart would explode she was so happy. She started to kiss him as he tried to keep talking.

"I mean … I have a laptop … and a phone." He said between kisses, each one getting longer and more passionate, her tongue darting in and out of his mouth as her hands moved over his body. "I can … telecommute. … How hard …can it be?" he got out between kisses.

Marissa moved her hand to his boxers. "It seems very hard to me." She replied as she moved to sit astride him.


	97. The Extra Traveller

**The extra traveller**

Now that Marissa had some direction in her life, she was a new person. She was excited about the plans they had made, although she wasn't excited about all the time that Ryan was spending at work. But she knew it was for a good reason.

The morning after their 'TALK' she had called her manager Kate to sort out her commitments and now, only a few days later, everything was falling into place. The jobs that she was committed to were all lined up. It was hard to imagine that only a few days ago the thought of returning to Paris had been something she was dreading but now … knowing that Ryan would be with her … she couldn't wait. She would be able to show him around, introduce him to her friends and if everything went according to plan and she did finish her work in 2 weeks, then they would have a whole week all to themselves … in one of the most romantic cities on earth. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

She had even made an appointment with a career counsellor to have a chat and had spent a considerable amount of time on the internet, researching possible courses that she may be interested in. She was amazed that there was so much to choose from, but excited nonetheless.

She was so excited about this new direction of her life that she even managed to stir up a bit of interest in Seth and Summer's wedding and spent several hours with Summer looking at wedding dresses and shoes and veils. She figured that she would just approach it as research for her own wedding but in truth what Summer was looking at was all a bit much for her. Still, she was happy to spend the time with her best friend and knowing how much it meant to Summer made it all worthwhile.

---

Ryan couldn't believe the change in Marissa. It was hard to imagine that a simple talk could have had such an effect on her. He was just happy that they had finally managed to sort things out. Although now he was concerned about how he would manage to get everything done before they went away. Maybe he had opened his mouth too soon by saying that he would go with her. He had been working 15 hour days, and he felt guilty that he had needed Annabel to work them as well. He knew he would have to give her a big bonus to make up for it.

One evening, after asking her to stay back yet again, he had apologised yet again. "I really am sorry about this. But I just have to get all this finished before I go away."

"Don't worry about it. I told you, it's fine. I'll have a few days off while you're in Paris." She replied.

"But I'm sure that Skip must be giving you a hard time about it. Actually, it's surprising that he hasn't given me a hard time about it." Ryan suggested knowing his friend was never backward in coming forward.

"He wouldn't want to." Annabel warned.

Ryan was surprised by her comment. He had thought that everything was still going well between the two of them but maybe that wasn't so. "But you can't have seen anymore of him in the last week than I have of Marissa ... and that's not much at all." Ryan replied.

"Well it wouldn't have mattered if I had been home the last couple of nights because he's been away anyhow. " Annabel assured him. "And as for tonight … well … it won't hurt for him to get a taste of his own medicine for a change." She stated.

Ryan frowned. He didn't like the thought of Annabel using work as an excuse to get back at Skip because he'd been busy. But the fact was that he needed her help right now, if he was to have any chance of getting things under control. But it didn't sound like things were all peachy between Skip and Annabel at the moment. Ryan decided that tomorrow he give Skip a call anyhow, just to apologise for keeping Annabel at work so much. He just hoped that his friend would understand.

---

The next day, as soon as he'd cleared the urgent matters on his desk, Ryan called Skip.

The phone was picked up on the first ring. "How's it hanging Atwood?" Skip answered.

Ryan couldn't help but smile at his friends comment. "None of your business, Taylor." Ryan replied.

"So ... are you still getting some?" Skip asked.

"Again. None of your business. " Ryan replied.

"I'll take that as a yes." Skip said.

"Why?" Ryan asked.

"Because I know you, you'd complain if you weren't." Skip suggested.

"No I wouldn't." Ryan retorted not liking the way this conversation was going.

"So you're saying you're not getting any?" Skip asked.

"No" Ryan replied.

"See … I told you … I knew you were. You two can't keep your hands off one another. Although what Marissa sees in you when she could have a fine specimen like me … " he started shaking his head in bewilderment. "Even if you have been at work till all hours, I bet you've been managing to slip one in every now and then."

"Skip !" Ryan stressed.

"What?" Skip asked, feigning innocence. "Are you telling me you've been slipping it in more often than every now and then?" he laughed.

"SKIP ! Enough. I didn't call you to talk about MY love life." Ryan stated.

Skip laughed. "Okay. So then why did you call?"

"I was more interested in yours." Ryan explained.

"Ahhhh! That's not very interesting." Skip replied.

"What does that mean?" Ryan asked.

"Exactly, Ryan. What does it all mean?" Skip asked trying his hardest to pretend to be serious.

Ryan by now was completely perplexed. "Are you and Annabel still an item?"

"Do you mean like an item on a menu?" Skip asked.

Ryan sighed. He knew that when Skip was in one of these moods he could be worse than Seth and that was saying something. The only way to get any answers was to be blatantly straightforward. "Are you still fucking her?"

Skip laughed knowing that he was getting to Ryan. "I see what you're getting at. And I guess I'd have to say that … if we actually manage to be in the same bed at the same time … then yes." Skip replied.

"But you're not spending much time together I gather?" Ryan asked.

"Let's just say … between her work commitments and my work commitments … things have been a bit light on of late." Skip replied.

"Maybe I can help." Ryan suggested.

"What? Are you turning into her pimp? Or are you not going to have her working back anymore?" Skip asked.

"Definitely no to the first and sorry, but no can do to the second, at least at the moment." Ryan replied. "I need her if I am to have any chance of getting everything finished before I go away. What I was going to suggest was that when you fly Marissa, Keith and I to Las Vegas next weekend, why don't you bring Annabel along? You can have 3 days in Vegas … my treat. You never know … you might win a fortune." Ryan suggested.

"Or maybe we won't leave our room. We've got a bit of lost time to make up for." Skip replied.

Ryan smiled. "Well that's completely up to you. But the offer's there. You decide if you'd like to bring her along."

"You don't have to do that." Skip commented.

"I know I don't have to. But I thought it might help to make up for some of the overtime that I've been demanding from her. I'd hate to think that you're having problems because of me." Ryan added.

"Don't worry. It's not because of you." Skip answered. "I don't know. The sex is great but other than that, I'm not sure that we have a lot in common. But I guess three days of sex can't be that bad. Can it?"

"I'm not going there. " Ryan replied. "Any thought of sex and you is enough to turn my stomach." He laughed.

"Let me think about it. I'll talk to her and get back to you."

_R/R Thanks - And you'll be pleased to know that the caller is revealed in the next post._


	98. The Caller Revealed

_Okay so the caller is revealed this post and it creates some issues for Ryan and Marissa. Hope you are not disappointed. (And thanks for the reviews. I love to know what you think.)_

**The Caller Revealed**

Thursday morning, Marissa was busily working around the apartment. She had laundry to do and then she intended to pack for their few days in Las Vegas. She thought that when she had finished with her own packing, she might lie some of Ryan's things out on the bed for him. She didn't really feel confident enough to pack for him but she had a pretty good idea of what he would want. And since he had been working so hard lately, she would do anything she could to make his life easier.

She knew Las Vegas would be fun although she was hoping that she wouldn't have to spend too much time with Annabel. She knew that if she was totally honest with herself, she would admit that she still had her reservations about Ryan's secretary. But she had no real reason to feel like that. Since Annabel had gotten together with Skip, there had been no more 'incidents' with Ryan, at least as far as she knew of. And she trusted Ryan ... completely. Didn't she? Even if they had been working 15 hour days together. Marissa tried to reassure herself by concentrating on more pleasant thoughts. In truth all she could really think about was the trip to Paris. They were flying to Las Vegas on Friday morning and then returning on Sunday afternoon. And then Monday they were off to Paris … for three whole weeks. If only she didn't have to work. But still … she could hardly wait.

She busied herself selecting outfits for the weekend. She travelled so much with work that she was pretty good at this, so she knew it shouldn't take too long. But she wanted to look her best. There was a conference dinner on the Saturday night that they were attending and Ryan would be the guest of honour and guest speaker. It would be their first official appearance as a 'couple' and she wanted him to be proud of her. She agonised for quite some time over what to wear, even contemplating calling Keith to go out shopping with her but she decided that she had so many clothes in Paris that she would be bringing back with her, that it was silly to go and buy something new. She decided to try on a couple of different dresses to see which she liked best and was just pulling one on over her head when her phone rang. Struggling to pull it down so that she could free her hand to pick up her phone off the dresser she grabbed it quickly before it went to voicemail.

Holding it to her ear she was about to say hello when she heard "Marissa?" come from the phone. Her heart started to race and she quickly hung up. Why wouldn't they just stop calling!

---

Ryan was starting to panic. He still had a lot to get done and this was his last day before they left for Las Vegas. He had told Annabel that he didn't want to be disturbed so he was startled when the phone rang on his desk.

"What?" he said crossly into the speaker phone.

Annabel was taken back. "Ryan. I'm sorry to disturb you but I have someone on the line who says he needs to speak with you personally. I tried to tell him that you weren't taking calls but he insisted."

Ryan sighed. Why was it that everyone wanted to speak to him personally? Why wouldn't one of his underlings do? "Who is it?" he asked.

"He said his name is Dan Forrest." Annabel replied.

"Who?" Ryan asked again. The name meant nothing to him.

"Dan Forrest. He's from Success, an English PR company." She replied.

"If this is just some gossip columnist trying to get information about …" he started. He was fed up with journalists trying anything to get information on the status of his relationship with Marissa. And now he was angry with Annabel for interrupting him when she knew he was busy. "Just take a message."

Annabel had known that Ryan would be angry. He rarely asked her to hold all his calls and when he did, he meant it. But the fact was, that this man was insistent and when she had pushed him he had said it concerned Marissa. At that point Annabel was intrigued. She really hoped that whatever it was that he wanted to talk about would cause some problems between Ryan and Marissa. Perhaps Marissa had some dark secret hidden. A secret love child perhaps? Her mind ran amok thinking of the possibilities. And so Annabel decided that she was prepared to risk Ryan's wrath to see what it was all about. She figured that she and Skip had almost run their course, the sex was great, the man was gifted in the sack, but that's all she was interested in, they really had nothing in common, but if Ryan was back on the market … well she would be more than happy to comfort him in his hour of need. She just had to get him to actually take the call. Then she could see where it led.

"No. I checked him out before I interrupted you. I got his number and called him back. He is the managing director of the company and they have over 100 staff, so it's not small." She said. "Plus …"

"Plus what?" Ryan asked impatiently. He didn't really care who the guy was. He didn't have time for any of this. Not today of all days.

"He said it was about Marissa." Annabel added.

Ryan suddenly became interested. Why would some English guy be calling him about Marissa? "What about Marissa?" he asked.

"He wouldn't say. Just that he needs to get in touch with her urgently." Annabel said.

Ryan ran his free hand through his hair, wondering what the caller could possibly want. "Okay. You'd better put him through." Ryan said.

Annabel smiled. At least he was taking the call. She wished that she could listen in. But she would just wait until the call was finished and then she would take some documents in for Ryan to sign. She should be able to tell from his manner whether the news was good or bad.

---

Ryan answered the call. "Mr Forrest what is this about?" Ryan asked. He wasn't in the mood to go through the pleasantries.

"Please call me Dan." Dan tried to be polite.

"Fine. Dan … what is this about?" Ryan asked again. He really didn't have time for any of this.

Dan was surprised by Ryan's manner but persisted anyhow. "I need to get in touch with Marissa Cooper and I thought you may be able to assist me." Dan replied.

"I don't know how … or even if, you know Marissa. But if you do then you would have her number. I'm afraid that I can't give it out. And if you don't know her then you should make your approaches through her manager in New York." Ryan informed the stranger.

"I have her number and I have tried calling a number of times over the last few weeks but she won't take my calls or return my messages. She actually answered just a short time ago when I rang but then hung up straight away before I had even spoken to her. I don't understand what is going on?" Dan stated.

Ryan was stunned. He couldn't imagine why Marissa would do that, unless she really didn't want to talk to him. And if that was the case then she obviously wouldn't want Ryan talking to him either. "Well I'm afraid that if she doesn't want to talk to you then there is nothing that I can do to help you." Ryan stated trying to end the conversation as quickly as possible so that he could get back to what he was doing.

"Please." Dan pleaded and Ryan could sense the desperation in his voice.

Ryan sighed. "What is it about?"

"Her mother." Dan stated simply.

"Julie? You know Julie?" Ryan asked.

"I'm engaged to her." Dan replied.

Ryan frowned. From what he could remember Marissa saying about Julie's fiancé, he was supposed to be a really nice guy. But if that was the case then why would Marissa not talk to him? Ryan was completely confused. He needed to talk to her. It didn't make sense.

---

"Look. I don't know if you can help but …" Dan hesitated trying to find the right words. He knew that Ryan was his last hope, so he couldn't afford to anger him. And no doubt he was very protective of his privacy, but he had to get his assistance. "I assume if the gossip columns have any truth in them that you and Marissa are close?" Dan asked.

Ryan contemplated whether to answer or not. He had no idea why this guy wanted to talk to Marissa or more importantly why Marissa wouldn't speak to him and deal with it herself. And if he really had been calling over the last few weeks then why hadn't she mentioned it to Ryan. He thought that the days of them having secrets were over. But he was obviously wrong.

Dan realised that he wasn't going to get an answer. "Look. I'm sorry to bother you and I understand that you are probably being pestered by the paparazzi all the time, and I have to admit to having employed some of them from time to time but I can assure you that my need to reach Marissa is on a completely private matter." Dan stressed.

"I'm sorry too. But I can't help you unless you tell me what this is all about?" Ryan asked.

Dan hesitated for a moment. Now he was the one who was concerned about revealing too much to the wrong person. He really just wanted to talk to Marissa. He had no idea how much Ryan knew about Marissa and Julie. "First, I need to know just how close you are to Marissa?"

"Why?" Ryan asked. They had been working too hard to keep their romance a secret to just reveal it all to a complete stranger.

Dan realised that if the two of them continued to remain defensive then they were going to get no where fast. "Because I need some information. And if I can't get it from her then perhaps I can get it from you."

"What sort of information?" Ryan asked.

"About Julie's visit to LA." Dan replied.

Ryan didn't even want to think back to it. It had been a revelation to find out that Julie was to blame for Ryan and Marissa's break up. But the ensuing melt down by Marissa at the Cohen's had worried him more than he would have ever imagined. "What about it?" Ryan asked.

"Did you see Julie while she was here?" Dan asked.

Ryan didn't know what to say. Should he tell this man that his fiancé offered herself to him in a sleazy motel? Thinking back to that day actually made Ryan feel sorry for the Englishman. "Briefly." Ryan replied thinking to himself that even the time he had spent with her was more than enough.

"Did something happen between Julie and Marissa?" Dan asked.

Ryan didn't know how to answer. "What makes you think that?" he answered guardedly.

"Because since Julie's returned …" Dan stopped short. "What I am about to tell you has to be kept completely confidential. Can I trust you to do that for me?" he asked.

"Certainly." Ryan replied, by now just wanting to get to the bottom of all this.

"Well … ever since Julie returned she has been depressed ... Severely depressed. She won't eat … doesn't sleep …barely talks. She just sits with a photo of Marissa … occasionally she will weep softly but she isn't responding to anything. She is getting so bad and it has been going on so long that the doctor wants to put her into a clinic to try to get her some serious help." Dan explained. "I know that Julie will be devastated if that happens to her. But I just don't know what else to do?"

"What has Julie said?" Ryan asked.

"That's just it. She hasn't said anything about the trip. She came home and refuses to talk about it at all. But since Marissa hasn't called, I gather that they must have parted on bad terms." Dan stated.

"You could say that." Ryan said.

"Do you know what it's all about?" Dan asked.

Ryan didn't feel right about revealing anything to Dan. He thought that he should leave it up to Marissa. "I do. But it's between Marissa and Julie. I'm afraid I can't tell you."

"Well can you at least get Marissa to call her mother?" Dan asked.

Ryan had to laugh. Dan made it sound so simple. But in truth he thought it more likely that Marissa would jump over the moon. "I don't think that is likely to happen." Ryan replied.

"What exactly happened between them?" Dan asked again.

"I'm sorry. I don't believe it is my place to tell you. You should ask Julie." Ryan said.

"Don't you think I have? Over and over until I'm blue in the face. But she won't tell me anything." Dan informed him.

"That doesn't surprise me." Ryan stated. But he felt bad for Dan. He sounded like a nice guy who was obviously just trying to help his fiancé. "But truthfully, I don't think that there is much that I can do to help. If Marissa doesn't want to talk to you, then …"

"Could you please at least ask her to get in touch with me?" Dan stressed.

Ryan knew that he would have to at least try to get Marissa to do that. "I can try. But I'm not promising anything." He replied. "They parted on very bad terms. But maybe if I tell her about what effect it has had on Julie then…"

"NO !!!" Dan said emphatically.

"Sorry?" Ryan asked.

"You can't tell Marissa about Julie. If the only reason that Marissa gets in touch with her mother is out of pity, then Julie would never forgive me. If you know Julie at all, you would know how proud a woman she is. I think that's why she is taking all this so badly. But having said that … it really is imperative that we try to break through whatever it is that is holding Julie in this state of limbo." Dan said.

Ryan felt nauseous as he realised that that was the exact word that he had come up with for Marissa when she was depressed after Emily returned to San Francisco. Perhaps there was a genetic tendency in the Copper women to take things badly and get depressed. Knowing how much he had wanted to crack through Marissa's lethargy, he started to feel for Dan. "I'll see what I can do." Ryan said resignedly.

"I guess that's all I can ask for." Dan replied. Somewhere along the line he realised that he and Ryan had connected. He could tell that Ryan would do anything for Marissa. "I just need to try something." Dan said the desperation evident in his voice.

"I don't like your chances but I'll see. I'll let you know how it goes." Ryan said.

"Thanks. And strange as it may sound, it's been nice talking to you. I hope we get the chance to meet one day." Dan replied.

"You never know." Ryan replied. He did think that he and Dan would get along but at the same time, unless Marissa had a major change of heart he couldn't imagine her wanting to catch up with Dan and her mother anytime in the near future, if ever.

"Just remember. You mustn't tell Marissa about her mother's depression. But if we don't do something then she is headed for a nervous breakdown. I'm hoping that Marissa will get in touch with Julie, maybe even come to visit but it has to be for the right reasons not because she feels sorry for her." Dan emphasised.

"Let's just take it one step at a time." Ryan remarked.


	99. Ryan confronts Marissa

_Okay so things are about to get interesting. The next few posts should hold a few surprises. LOL_

**Ryan confronts Marissa**

After Ryan replaced the phone he sat thinking back over all that Dan had told him. Even after everything she did, he still felt bad for Julie. But what worried him the most was the fact that Marissa had been keeping Dan's calls a secret from him. Why would she do that?

He desperately needed to get back to work but he knew that concentration would be impossible. He was playing with his pen, twiddling it in his fingers and thinking about why Marissa would keep this from him when Annabel walked into his office. He looked up and she stared at him as if waiting for something. Finally Ryan asked. "Did you want something?"

Annabel was startled out of her reverie. "Sorry. I just need you to sign these." She said while continuing to study Ryan. She wondered if she would be able to get Ryan to tell her what the call was about. "I'm sorry for putting that call through to you. I know how busy you are. But the man was insistent." She said.

"It's fine." Ryan replied.

"I hope it wasn't anything bad concerning Marissa?" Annabel asked. She knew she was pushing her luck but she thought she'd give it a go anyhow.

"I said IT'S FINE!" Ryan replied making it quite clear that there would be no further conversation about what had been said between he and Dan.

Annabel looked surprised. "I was only trying to help." She replied as she walked back out of Ryan's office. A small smile began on her face and got slowly bigger as she neared her desk. Hmmm she thought to herself. Whatever it was, Ryan was very touchy about it. And she rather liked the idea of a touchy Ryan. Especially if he was touching her she thought. She would love to be a fly on the wall when he got home tonight. All of a sudden she couldn't wait for the weekend away. It could be very entertaining.

---

It was late by the time Ryan made his way back to the apartment. At first after Dan's call he had wanted to rush home and talk to Marissa about it straight away but he had to finish some things off at work. And by the time he had done that, he had changed his mind completely. He now almost dragged himself out of the lift, dreading the conversation that he knew was about to happen. He opened the door and made his way slowly into the lounge room where Marissa was sitting watching television. She looked up.

"Hey. I didn't hear you come in." she said turning to look at him and worried by what she saw. He had really worked himself to the bone trying to get everything under control so that he could come with her to Paris. And she knew that she would never be able to repay him.

Ryan just smiled meekly.

Marissa frowned. "You look exhausted. Dinner is ready; I just have to serve it. Why don't you go and wash up and I'll put it on the table."

Ryan nodded. He really didn't want to get in to this but he knew he had to. Maybe he could put it off until after they had eaten he thought. Moving into their bedroom he noticed his clothes laid out on the bed and a small smile found its way to his face. He knew that in her own way she was just trying to help. He thought that they had got passed all their problems and that things were finally looking good for them but now this. He pushed a few things from the edge of the bed and sat down running his hands wearily though his hair. He wasn't sure what he was most concerned about. Why she had kept Dan's calls a secret or how she was going to react when he tried to get her to call her mother. He knew that neither topic was going to be pleasant. Wishing that he could put it off further, he sighed but he knew that wasn't possible. If what Dan said was true then the sooner Marissa contacted Julie the better. He wondered how he could raise the issue of her mother with her without revealing exactly what was wrong with her.

---

Marissa wondered what had happened to Ryan. The dinner was going cold on the table. He had looked so tired and worn out when he came through the door that she wondered if he had fallen asleep and so rather than call out to him she went to check. When she got to the door of their room she was met by the sight of Ryan sitting on the end of the bed running his hands through his hair. A sure sign that he was worried about something. He looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Ryan? Are you okay?" she asked. Her question was met by a slight shrug from him. "Is everything all right?" she added.

Ryan took a deep breath. He couldn't put it off any longer. "I had an unusual call today ..." He started and then stopped and looked back down at his hands and realised he was clenching them. He tried to relax so that he could continue.

Marissa frowned wondering what it was all about. She could see how tense he was.

" … from Dan Forrest." Ryan finished and looked back up at Marissa.

Marissa felt sick as a million thoughts ran through her head. She tried desperately to pull herself together. "Why ... why did he call you?" she asked meekly.

"Apparently he has been calling you, but you either don't answer or you hang up on him." Ryan answered.

Marissa nodded and then dropped her head.

"Why?" Ryan asked and then added "No. Make that 2 why's. Why wouldn't you talk to him and if you have a problem with him calling you, then why didn't you tell me about it?"

Marissa sighed. She should have known that things had been going too well between them. This was exactly what she had been trying to avoid. "I didn't think that he would bother you." Marissa replied hanging her head low. She didn't want to make eye contact with Ryan for fear of what he would read there.

Ryan could see the effect the news was having on her and the last thing he wanted was for them to get into a fight over this but he still needed to know why she had been behaving so strangely. "He's going to be your step-father, Marissa. Why won't you talk to him?" Ryan asked and then hung his head and added. "And why won't you talk to me?"

Marissa could tell that the second question was actually more important than the first but she wasn't ready to deal with that just yet even though the two were tightly connected. She moved towards Ryan and knelt between his legs so that she could look into his eyes. "Because … he's going to be my step-father." She replied simply.

Ryan frowned. He was more confused than when he started. "I don't understand. From what I remember when you mentioned him, you didn't have a problem with him."

"I don't. He's a nice guy." She replied.

"Then what's going on? Why won't you talk to him?"

Marissa sighed and looked at Ryan, the expression on her face making the words come out as a plea rather than a statement. "Don't you understand, it's because of who he lives with. The only reason he would call me would be to do with my mother. She can't make up her mind about her wedding dress. Or wondering what sort of flowers would look good on the table centres." Marissa suggested flippantly. "And I don't care. As I have told you before, as far as I'm concerned my mother is dead. I can't forgive her for what she did to us and I never want to see her again. And that includes having any contact with her. I'm sure Dan is just being a messenger for her to say she is sorry and can everything go back to normal. But it's not happening. And …" she took a deep breath thinking now comes the hard part. "… the reason I didn't tell you … was because I knew that you would try to get me to talk to her … or him as the case might be. She did actually call a couple of times at first but obviously when I wouldn't talk to her she got Dan to try. And now no doubt he has asked you to try. But it isn't going to happen. And I know what you think. And it is something that we will never agree on." She looked at Ryan watching for a sign of what he was thinking. "And that's why I didn't tell you. I don't want to fight with you over my mother. We've lost enough time together because of her. Don't you see? If we end up fighting because of her then she wins. Even from England she can cause problems for us. She'd be delighted to know that she could still have this effect on us."

Ryan tried to come to terms with everything that she had said. In truth, he **had** been about to try to talk her in to contacting her mother so he guessed that she was right on that one. But he still wished that she had not kept the calls a secret. He didn't like to think that she felt she needed to keep things from him. He looked at Marissa's hands holding on to his knees and he placed his hands on top of them and slowly started to move his thumb over them. "You're right about him asking me to try to get you to contact him. And I guess you are right that if you had told me about the calls then I would have encouraged you talk to him. But I want you to know that you should never feel that you need to keep something like that from me. We are in this for the long haul and that means that you don't need to deal with anything alone anymore. Even if we don't agree on something, it's better that we talk about it and respect our differences of opinion than pretend that it doesn't exist."

Marissa nodded. "So you won't try to get me to contact him?" she asked.

Ryan sighed. He desperately wanted to tell her about Julie but he knew that he had made a promise. "Couldn't you just call Dan? You don't have to talk to your mother." He asked.

Marissa shook her head. "No. Her evil … affects everyone around her. If you ever speak to him again you should tell him to run for his life." Marissa said a small smile softening her words.

Ryan didn't know what to say. He looked deeply into her eyes trying to read what was going on behind them.

"I'm sorry for not telling you." She said.

Ryan nodded. It still worried him that she had kept it all a secret. But he wasn't going to make an issue of it. He would just have to try to come to terms with it.

"Dinner's on the table getting cold." Marissa said.

"I'm not so hungry." He replied. "I think I might just go to bed."

"I'll come to bed with you. Just let me clean up first." Marissa replied.

Ryan shook his head. "There's no need for that. I haven't gotten much sleep lately and I think it's catching up with me." he rubbed his temple, he could feel a headache forming. "You go and enjoy your dinner. I'll talk to you in the morning."

Marissa stood up. She felt like she had just been dismissed. Turning to walk towards the door she stopped and said to him. "You don't understand what she is like. I know that if she had her chance she would break us up again and I can't risk that." She turned back to the door and walked out.


	100. A Change of Plans

_Wow - As a few of you have pointed out this is post 100. I guess I would have liked it to be more monumental but no such luck. It is sort of the first post of a whole new phase. When I started this I didn't imagine that I would ever get this far but it just seems that this pair are very easy to write about. There's still quite a lot to go so I hope you aren't getting bored just yet. _

_Thanks again to those of you who take the time to leave me a review. It is muchly appreciated._

**A Change of Plans**

The next morning things between Ryan and Marissa were uncomfortable. They both went through the motions of their usual morning ritual without actually saying more than two words to one another. They hadn't spoken about the phone calls or Julie and Dan again because they both knew that they were never likely to agree. So it appeared they both thought that it was better to let the scab heal even if it left a permanent scar than to pick at it until it bled.

After breakfast, they finished off their packing. They were both extremely polite to one another but kept their distance where humanly possible. They were waiting for the lift to go down to the car when Ryan's phone rang.

Ryan looked at the caller id and answered "Hey Skip. Nice day for flying."

"Sorry not Skip. It's Annabel." said the female voice.

"Annabel. Sorry. I just thought …" Ryan started.

"No It's fine. I'm using his phone. He's a bit busy at the moment." She replied.

"Hopefully getting our plane ready?" Ryan asked.

"Um no. There's been a bit of a problem." She said.

"Nothing serious I hope?" Ryan asked wondering if there may have been a problem with the aircraft again.

"Well, Skip's just had a call from his brother. Apparently his Dad had a heart attack last night and it looks like it's serious." She replied.

"Oh my god." Ryan replied. "What can we do?"

"Nothing. But he's returning to Australia as soon as he can get on a flight. He asked me to let you know that he will organise for another pilot to take you to Las Vegas."

"Of course. But isn't there something that we can do?" Ryan asked again. He felt so helpless.

"No. I just thought I should let you know. Plus now you won't need the extra room." Annabel stated.

"Why? Aren't you coming?" Ryan asked.

"Well I was only coming along to keep Skip company. And now he's not going. So …" She replied.

"Nonsense. There's no point in staying at home on your own for the weekend and I've already paid for the room so you might as well come along for the ride. I'm sure that Keith could do with the company." Ryan replied thinking maybe the only thing he could do for Skip, would be to keep Annabel amused for the weekend. He knew things weren't great between them at the moment so maybe if he kept her busy she wouldn't sit at home and sulk.

"If you're sure?" Annabel asked perking up. She hadn't wanted to stay at home but she had thought it was the right thing to offer to do so.

"I'm sure. I'll see you at the airport soon." Ryan replied. "And tell Skip that we'll be thinking of him and to just let me know if there is anything that I can do to help." Ryan added. "Actually I hadn't thought, but do you want to go with him?" Ryan asked.

Annabel could think of nothing worse. The thought of flying half way around the world to sit in some hospital watching the father of her fuck buddy (as she'd come to think of him) while he fought for his life was not what she had planned for the weekend. She would much rather spend the weekend in Vegas with Ryan and Marissa and see if she could maybe work out just what the phone call from yesterday had been all about. Maybe with a little encouragement on her part, their relationship could self destruct. But she couldn't actually tell Ryan that so she replied. "I think it's better if he goes on his own. At times like these it's good for families to be together. They don't need any hangers on." She replied.

"You're probably right." Ryan said. "So I'll see you at the airport."

Annabel smiled. "Okay. See you soon."

---

Ryan, Marissa and Keith arrived at the airport a short time later and were met by Rob, Skip's partner, who was going to fly them to Las Vegas.

"Ryan, I'm sorry we're running a little late. I got here as soon as I could after Skip called and we're just doing the final checks on the aircraft. Give us another 10 minutes or so and we should be set to go." He informed them. "And I'm afraid that I won't be able to stay in Las Vegas with you. I have another job that was already booked for tomorrow. But it shouldn't be a problem. I'll just drop you off and then I'll return on Sunday to collect you, if that's okay with you?"

"That's fine." Ryan replied. "Is there anything we can do to help Skip?" he asked.

"Not at the moment. He's pretty shaken up. But he's managed to get on a flight that leaves here in a couple of hours. I guess we'll know more once he gets back there." he added. "I'll just go and finish off the pre-flight checks and be back with you soon."

"Take your time." Ryan said. "We are in no particular hurry." Ryan turned to Marissa and Keith just as Annabel walked into the terminal and came to greet them.

"Hi. Sorry I'm late." She said, obviously addressing herself mostly to Ryan.

Marissa noticed the snub and turned to Ryan. "I'm just going to the bathroom."

Ryan nodded to Marissa and then replied to Annabel "It's fine. They're not ready to go just yet anyhow." He replied and then realised that Annabel and Keith hadn't met. "Sorry, excuse my manners. Annabel, I'd like you to meet Keith. Keith this is Annabel. Annabel's my secretary." Ryan explained "and Keith … Keith's …" Ryan looked for the right word. He knew that Marissa didn't like to think that she needed a bodyguard and right now, Ryan didn't want to upset her anymore than she already was. "Keith's Marissa's personal shopper." He smiled thinking of Keith's visit to Victoria's Secret on Marissa's behalf.

Keith smiled. "I'm not sure that she would agree with that." He said to Ryan and then turned to Annabel. "But it's nice to meet you anyhow."

"Same. But I feel like I've seen you around somewhere?" Annabel asked. He was cute. And the exact opposite of Skip. Where Skip was tall, blonde and lean like a greyhound, Keith was a little shorter, dark and definitely built.

"When Marissa doesn't need him, Keith's been helping out with security at work." Ryan explained.

"That's where it was." She remembered seeing him on her way in to work one morning and admiring the body. She was hoping that this weekend would be dedicated to causing a rift between Ryan and Marissa but if all else failed she may be able to find some fun anyhow she thought looking him over. The glance didn't go unnoticed by Keith.

Ryan looked at the two and realised that now while Marissa was at the bathroom was a perfect opportunity for him to call Dan. He had promised to get in touch after he had spoken to Marissa but had not wanted to call from home scared that Marissa would be upset about it. He spoke to the couple in front of him. "I'm just going to go outside and make a call. I shouldn't be long but just come and get me if they are ready to go and I'm not back."

Keith and Annabel nodded as Ryan walked quickly back outside.

---

The phone was answered on the first ring. He had obviously been sitting waiting for the call. "Ryan?"

"Yeah. Hi." Ryan said.

"How did it go?" Dan asked, and then remembered his manners. "Sorry. How are you?" Dan asked.

"I'm fine. But in answer to you previous question. Not well." Ryan replied.

"Ryan. You'll have to try again." Dan pleaded.

"I don't think it will make any difference. She doesn't want anything to do with her. That's why she won't talk to you. She figures that you are Julie's messenger." Ryan explained.

"Well I hope you explained that I'm not? Well at least not really." Dan replied.

"I did. But it still made no difference." Ryan said. "How's Julie?" Ryan asked.

"If anything she's getting worse." Dan replied. "The doctors are certain that what ever is the cause of it is something to do with Marissa. But, I just don't know what else I can do."

Dan sounded desperate and Ryan felt for him. "I think you've done all you can." Ryan replied. "Perhaps you should just let the professionals …" Ryan started only to be cut off.

"I can't believe that whatever happened between them could be worth Marissa doing this to her mother." Dan stated and then Ryan saw red.

"This isn't Marissa's fault." Ryan stated forcefully. "She has just cause for cutting Julie off from her life and I know I said that I would try to help you. But let's get one thing straight, this is Marissa's choice and I'll stand by her whatever she decides. Don't for one minute think that Marissa has anything to be sorry for."

Dan was taken aback. There was a few moments of silence and then Dan asked quietly "Ryan. What can I do to fix this?"

Ryan had hoped that this phone call would have been the last he would have to make to Dan but hearing the desperation in his voice Ryan changed his mind. "I guess I could have another go at asking Marissa … but I'll need to leave it a few days. She's barely speaking to me as it is." Ryan said.

"Thank you." Dan said simply. "I'm sorry to put you in this position but I don't know what else to do."

"It would be easier if I could just tell Marissa about what's happened with Julie." Ryan stated.

"No. You promised. I know that Julie doesn't want pity. That would be even worse than having Marissa not contact her. It seems her pride is one of the few things that she has left intact." Dan stressed.

"If you say so." Ryan said reluctantly, regretting yet again that he had ever made the promise to keep Julie's condition a secret.

"Can I call you next week and see if you have made any progress?" Dan asked.

"Sure." Ryan replied.

"Is it okay to call you at work again like yesterday?"

"No. I won't be there. Marissa and I are flying to Paris on Monday. So it's best if you call me back on this number. Actually thinking about it … it's probably better if I call you." Ryan said thinking that he wouldn't want Marissa to know that he had been talking to Dan.

"Okay. But if you're going to Paris … I mean it's so close … maybe you could have a stopover in London for a couple of days and we could meet up. Maybe sort all this out." Dan suggested.

"I can't see Marissa agreeing to that." Ryan stated.

"But …I'm sure if we got them together, we'd be able to sort this all out." Dan suggested.

---

Marissa had just rejoined Keith and Annabel when Rob came up to them and said. "We're all set to go. Where's Ryan?"

"He just went outside to make a call." Annabel replied. "I'll go and get him."

"No. I'll go." Marissa said. She knew she was being petty but she didn't like the way that Annabel was so proprietorial with Ryan. She had a feeling that she was going to need to re-state some boundaries this weekend. She glared at Annabel and proceeded to walk outside and saw Ryan talking on the phone. He had his back to her and she walked up to him and was about to put her hand on his shoulder to get his attention when she heard his words.

"I'll try to talk her into it. Maybe I can get her to spend a couple of days in London on the way home. But I have to get going now Dan. I'll talk to you next week." Ryan said. "Bye." He ended the call and turned around to find Marissa standing right in front of him.

"Dan? You were talking to Dan?" she asked.

Ryan looked guiltily at her. "I promised I call him back."

"Unbelievable." She said shaking her head from side to side. "You know how I feel and yet you still won't give up. Don't you understand that all she wants is to break us up?" Marissa asked.

"Ris. That's not true. You don't understand …" Ryan started only to be cut short by Marissa.

"Maybe that's what you want too? If it is, you should just come out and say so. You don't have to drag me home to Paris to do it." She said turning on her heels to walk back inside.

Ryan grabbed for her arm. "You know that's not what I want. Your home is with me." he replied.

"Is it? I'm not so sure anymore." She said and pulled her arm from his grasp. "Rob's ready to go." She stated shortly and walked back into the terminal with Ryan following closely behind.

Annabel was watching Ryan and Marissa through the glass windows of the terminal and even though she couldn't hear what was being said, she could tell from their actions and the expressions on their faces that things weren't good between them. She smiled. It looked like this could be her lucky weekend in more ways than one. Things between Ryan and Marissa were definitely tense, she'd got rid of Skip for the weekend so she was footloose and fancy free and she was off to Vegas with a hunky bodyguard for company. It was all definitely going her way. This weekend was looking better and better.


	101. Marissa's Concerns

_I've just read through your reviews and all I can say is LOL If you think that Annabel is a slut now then just wait until you see what she gets up to in the next little while. This is a mega chapter so I hope that you enjoy it._

**Marissa's Concerns**

Annabel enjoyed herself tremendously on the flight to Las Vegas. She and Keith sat behind Ryan and Marissa and not only did she enjoy Keith's company but it was obvious that Ryan and Marissa were barely speaking. Twice during the flight she had noticed Ryan move to hold Marissa's hand and talk to her and each time Marissa had pulled away quickly whilst also having some none too pleasant words to say to Ryan. It was looking more and more like she wouldn't need to do anything to hurry along the split. From the looks of things they were going to take care of it all by themselves. And of course then she would be on hand to help Ryan through his disappointment when it all came crashing down. She couldn't wait. She just hoped that when he came looking for comfort that she would be in the new teddy that she had bought. And if she was lucky the teddy wouldn't be on for long at all.

---

When the limo pulled up in front of the Bellagio hotel where the conference was being held, the crowd of paparazzi at the entrance surged forward towards the door waiting to see the identities of those inside. Thankfully the darkened windows made it virtually impossible for them to see inside. Ryan looked at the crowd and knowing that they were going to be looking for photos of he and Marissa together and worried about how Marissa would react, he suggested "How about Annabel and I go in first and pave the way? Give us a few minutes and then Keith can bring you in?" he asked directing his questions at Marissa.

Marissa shrugged. She had barely said two words since they had left LA. She wanted to have it out with Ryan but she wasn't about to start anything in front of Annabel. Marissa felt that Annabel seemed to be enjoying herself just a little too much and she had a feeling that it was because it must have been obvious, that Ryan and Marissa had some 'issues' at the moment. She realised that everyone was waiting for her to say something. "Whatever." She replied. She knew that she would rather have Ryan look after her but she wasn't about to admit that to him at this point.

Ryan desperately wanted to be the one protecting Marissa from the crowd but he knew that the paparazzi would be doubly excited to get any photo of the two of them together. Plus the fact was that he was scared that at that very moment … if he tried to put his arm around Marissa, she would probably push him away. Ryan looked at Keith and instructed. "Keep her close and don't let them get to her." He said.

"I am sitting right here, you know? You don't need to talk about me. I can look after myself." Marissa commented indignantly. Much as she knew she wanted to be with him, her pride wouldn't let her reveal it.

Ryan looked at Keith who rolled his eyes trying to say that he understood. Ryan just nodded. He knew that anything else he said would only make things worse. He turned to Annabel. "You right?"

"Sure. I can't wait." She replied with a big smile, trying to emphasise the difference between her and Marissa. She thought the whole idea of a bunch of people after her photo was great. She just hoped that they got a good photo of her and Ryan together as they got out of the limo. Maybe it could end up in one of the gossip tabloids and she would be reported as his 'mystery companion'. She found the whole idea very appealing.

"Okay. Let's do it." Ryan said as he opened the door and kept his head down and walked purposefully towards the door with Annabel close behind. The cameras flashed and questions were hurled but Ryan pushed forward and the crowd parted slowly in front of him. Once inside he was met by one of the assistant managers of the hotel who put his hand out in greeting.

"Mr Atwood. We've been expecting you. My names Bill Rapson and I'll be at your disposal throughout your stay with us. If there is anything you need please don't hesitate to call me directly. Now, if you'd like to follow me, I'll show you to your rooms."

"Please call me Ryan." Ryan replied "and this is my secretary, Annabel." Ryan said whilst all the time keeping his eyes on the door of the limo. As it opened and Keith and Marissa emerged, the flashes started again. Keith carved a path through the crowd and Ryan was grateful yet again that he had brought Keith along with them. "Here's the rest of our party now." Ryan added as Keith and Marissa joined them.

"Welcome to the Bellagio." Bill commented. "I think it's best if I take you straight to your rooms." He added as a few of the photographers tried to enter only to be turned back by the hotel security.

"Thanks." Ryan replied and they all followed Bill to the lifts.

---

Annabel was delighted with her room. It turned out that Ryan had requested a honeymoon suite for her and Skip to share. With its circular bed on a raised podium and mirrored ceiling, it seemed almost wrong for her to be in it all on her own. But then if things worked out as she hoped then she would get to share it with someone before the end of the weekend. It wouldn't be right not to, she reasoned.

---

When Bill showed Ryan and Marissa to their suite he offered to come inside and show them the many facilities available to them but Ryan could sense that now was not the time. Turning to Bill he said. "Thanks for the offer, but maybe some other time. I'll call you if we need anything but I'm sure we will be fine."

"Okay. But if you change your mind, just let me know." He turned to make his way out the door and then hesitated. "Might I suggest that if you want to leave the hotel that you either let me know so that I can organise some security or that you use one of the alternate entrances, like through the shopping arcade, rather than the front door. I think the press will be camped out there for the weekend."

"Okay. Thanks." Ryan replied. "I appreciate the suggestion."

Ryan escorted Bill out the door and then locked it and turned to Marissa who was standing at the window looking out at the view of the Strip. He moved closer to her but stopped when he was about a metre away. It was like he could feel a force field around her and he was scared to get any closer. "Are you ever going to talk to me?" he asked.

Marissa kept silent.

"Ris. I thought the days of us not talking were over. I understand that you're not happy with me but I think that you're over-reacting. I called the guy back. I'm sorry if that upsets you but he seemed like a nice guy and I felt it was the polite thing to do." Ryan explained.

Marissa still said nothing.

"Marissa!" Ryan exclaimed. "Say something. Anything. Yell at me. I don't care but please talk to me."

Marissa slowly turned around to face Ryan and he could see the tears forming in her eyes. "I don't want to say something I might regret." She explained softly. "Because right now … I feel betrayed. That even after knowing how I felt, you still went and spoke to him."

"I'm sorry. I never meant to make you feel like that. I had promised to let him know what your intentions were and that's all I was doing." Ryan explained hoping that she would forgive him.

"But you intend to talk to him again. I heard you tell him you would try to talk me into spending some time in London on the way back." She shook her head in disbelief. The words had been replaying in her mind over and over since she had overheard them.

Ryan looked at her and could sense how badly she was feeling. He hadn't realised that she had heard what he had been saying to Dan and he stepped towards her wanting to take her in his arms. Marissa instantly stepped away from him and turned back to look out the windows again. "Don't you understand that I'm scared?"

"Scared?" Ryan asked. Why would she be scared?

"Yes." Marissa replied and then continued trying to find the words to explain to him what she meant. "These last couple of months …" she glanced at him and then looked back outside again. She wanted to try to concentrate and find the right words to explain how she felt and why. But when she looked at him that was impossible. Much easier just to look out and concentrate on a line on the horizon. She tried to continue. "… with you …" she sighed and looked down at her hands clutched together. " … they have been … the best of my life." She looked back at him to be greeted by his little half smile that melted her heart.

"For me too." Ryan replied and started to move towards her again but she held up her hand.

"Just let me try to get this out. I need to try to make you understand." She pleaded.

Ryan nodded and stopped exactly where he was.

"But knowing how my mother betrayed me … and broke us up before … I'm scared … that given the opportunity … she would find a way to do it again." Marissa stated.

"She can't …" Ryan started only to be cut off.

"Don't ever underestimate my mother Ryan." Marissa warned. "She is selfish, cold, hard and callous. To do what she did is one thing. But then to watch me … and everything that I went through and not say a word …. To let me believe … No that's wrong. She actually encouraged me to believe, that what we had was all one sided. That you had never wanted anything more from me than to get me into bed with you. That you were just after an easy lay." Marissa added.

"You know that was never the case." Ryan assured her. His heart breaking as he realised that was exactly what she had thought.

Marissa looked back at him. "Obviously in my darkest hour, I didn't have enough faith in us. And with my mother's help it all came tumbling down. I can't risk that ever happening again. I don't think that I would be able to get through it."

"You won't ever need to." Ryan assured her.

"For my own peace of mind, I need to stay as far away from her as possible." Marissa explained.

"She is still your mother. You might change your mind some day?" Ryan suggested.

"It'll be a cold day in hell before I ever want to have anything to do with her again." Marissa replied.

Ryan nodded. He knew that this wasn't the news that Dan would want to hear but at the same time, Marissa was his primary concern. And Ryan wasn't prepared to put his relationship with her at risk for the sake of her mother. "If that's the way you feel, then I will respect your wishes. But if you ever change your mind …" he said wanting to leave the way open for things to maybe alter at some time in the future. He couldn't help but think that if Marissa felt confident in their relationship then she wouldn't feel quite so strongly about rejecting her mother.

"I won't." Marissa assured him and looked into his eyes. She wondered if he would think that she was being a cold-hearted bitch just like her mother, but there was no indication there, that he was being anything but supportive of her. She sighed deeply again and looked back out the window at the busy street below. "And now." She started … indicating that as far as she was concerned, that conversation was finished with. A smile started on her face. "I have been looking forward to this weekend ever since you told me about it. I have never been to Vegas and I don't want to spend the whole weekend cooped up in a hotel room."

Ryan was surprised. "You've never been here before?" he asked.

"No. If you remember I have been living in Europe for the last few years. And it wasn't somewhere we came for family holidays when I was young." She said stating the obvious.

"Well then I think you need the guided tour." Ryan suggested.

"Sounds good. Do you know of any good guides I could employ?" Marissa asked.

"As a matter of a fact I do know of one and I think you'll be impressed by his rate." Ryan smiled.

"Is that so? How much does he charge?" Marissa asked.

"He is so confidant of his abilities that the tour is free. The tip however … " Ryan started a smile taking over his face.

Marissa couldn't help but laugh. "Let's just see if I enjoy the tour." She said. "What time does it leave?"

"How about right now? Leave on your jeans and put on your walking shoes and I'll dig up some baseball caps." Ryan suggested turning to dig through one of his bags. "Add some dark sunglasses and we'll see how far we can get before anyone notices us. With a bit of luck there will be lots of other people around that the paparazzi will be interested in and they will be too busy to notice us." Ryan said and then added. "Do you want Keith to come along as well?"

"No. Let's just see how we do on our own? If worse comes to worse we'll just have to come back here." Marissa smiled and then did exactly as she'd been told. Changing her shoes and then she twirled her hair into a loose roll and stuffed it into the cap that Ryan handed her. "How do I look?" she asked.

"Beautiful." Ryan replied and leaned in to give her a quick kiss. "But you'd better get me out of here now or I will be looking for my tip before the tour has even begun."

"Well we can't have that." She replied and pulled him towards the door.

---

They took the lift to the shopping arcade level as Bill had advised and as they turned the corner of the lift vestibule Marissa stopped dead.

"What's wrong?" Ryan asked coming to a complete halt.

Marissa looked straight ahead and Ryan followed her line of vision.

"That dress." She said looking at a champagne coloured low-cut silk sheath with delicate beading around the bodice that was in the window of the Chanel shop in front of them. It was quite beautiful. "I've worn that dress. It's a one off and I wore it in the parades in Paris earlier this year. I almost bought it because I loved it so much." She explained.

"I think I'd have liked to have seen that." Ryan stated, the thought of Marissa in the dress putting a big smile on his face.

"Don't you think that it is odd that of all the places in the world for it to end up – it's here, in a gambling Mecca?" Marissa asked.

"Not really. There are a lot of designer shops in Vegas. I guess they figure that when someone strikes it rich, they probably need something to splurge their money on." Ryan explained.

"Yeah well from memory. They wouldn't be rich for long if they spent that much money on clothes." She explained.

"Well … I guess they figure most gamblers are easy come, easy go." Ryan suggested and pulled her passed the shop. He knew he would be back to purchase the dress for Marissa. He wanted to surprise her with it and she could wear it to the dinner tomorrow night. It was going to be their first official public appearance as a couple. He already knew that she would be the most beautiful woman there but in that dress she would be breathtaking.


	102. The Guided Tour

_Thanks to those of you who are hanging in with me. Things are about to get interesting. I hope that you love this post as much as I do. It's a favourite of mine._

**The Guided Tour**

Ryan and Marissa managed to slip outside of the hotel unnoticed and because it was still light Ryan suggested that they walk along one of the back streets that ran parallel to the strip until the sun started to set. That way they would have a lot less chance of being recognised. The intention was, as soon as dusk fell they would make their way back up Las Vegas Boulevard and hopefully the darkness of the night would help them keep their anonymity.

They had been walking hand in hand for a few blocks, chatting and just enjoying one another's company when they both were startled by the flash of a camera. Thinking the worst – that someone had followed them and that their cover was blown, Ryan gripped Marissa's hand preparing to run and looking for some sort of safe haven when he realised that the flash was not directed at them. They were outside a wedding chapel and a newly married couple were just emerging … the photographer and a video cameraman both preceding them. Ryan and Marissa both stopped and watched as the happy couple posed for photos – totally lost in one another. They couldn't help but hope that when the time came that they would look just as happy. At least Seth and Summer had now set a date. It was only a matter of time until they got their own turn.

But they both knew that this was nothing like what Seth and Summer were planning. The 'wedding of the century' as Ryan and Marissa had nicknamed it was going to be all bells and whistles. Marissa felt like she had already looked at hundreds of wedding gowns with Summer and yet Summer still hadn't found what she was looking for. But this bride wore a simple white dress and yet Marissa knew that she had never seen anyone look more radiant. The fact was that it wasn't the dress that mattered but how you felt about who was standing beside you.

She turned to Ryan and spoke softly". "When the time comes …" she prefixed her thoughts "I only want a small wedding."

He nodded.

"Just something with only our closest friends." She added.

"Sounds good to me. You know that I'd do whatever you wanted but I'm not really one for much fanfare. So small sounds great." He added.

Marissa looked back longingly at the happy couple and she couldn't help but wonder when they would get their chance.

Taking in the happiness of the couple in front of them, neither wanting to move … they stayed there watching as innocent bystanders until the couple and their companions had left. Pulling Marissa along, Ryan could see that her thoughts were similar to his. "We will get our turn." He assured her.

"Not if my mother has her way." Marissa replied wanting to emphasise to Ryan that she still had reservations about just what affect Julie would have on them.

"Well she's a long way away. Even she isn't powerful enough to bother us when she's in England and we're in the US." Ryan added.

"But we're about to go to Paris. That's only a short distance from London." Marissa replied. "And you wonder why I'm scared?"

It was now dusk and the lights of the main strip were beckoning. "Don't be." Ryan assured her. "She can't do anything to us. But come on let's go and have a wander down the main street. You haven't been to Vegas unless you've seen the volcano erupt at The Mirage." He laughed pulling her with him but still wondering how he could reassure her that nothing her mother did would ever come between them again. He couldn't help but think that maybe if she had more confidence in their relationship then she would have been prepared to talk to her mother. It was her insecurities that were getting to her.

---

After taking in the volcano show and wandering passed the canals of the Venetian, they continued on down the street stopping to buy a hot dog from a street vendor on their way. Marissa couldn't remember how long it had been since she had had so much fun. There were people everywhere. It was as if as soon as the lights came on, the people emerged. But everyone was lost in their own business and they didn't give the two tourists in baseball caps a second glance. They wandered around Treasure Island and continued until they got to Circus Circus and walked inside. Marissa spotted the Ferris wheel and instantly started pulling Ryan towards it.

"Oh no. You know … just because I'm older doesn't mean I've gotten over my fear of heights." He stressed to her pulling her back.

"Come on. You travel in planes all the time now." she urged him forward.

"Yeah. But I have a little more around me than a few flimsy pieces of metal." Ryan replied.

"Please …" she pleaded. "I promise I'll do something to help to take your mind off it." She teased.

Ryan smiled. He knew fighting her was a lost cause but he still felt he should try. "Isn't there something else that you would rather do? Something that doesn't require us leaving the ground?" he asked. "Maybe we could go back to the room and try out the bed?" he suggested.

"Later." She assured him. "But right now I want to go on the Ferris wheel. I promise to look after you." Marissa replied and then whispered. "I'll even double the tip to make it worth your while." She added.

Ryan's face broke into a huge smile. "Well why didn't you say so." He replied and started pulling her towards the ride.

Marissa laughed as she followed him. All of a sudden she felt like she was 15 again at the Harbour School kick off carnival. As they sat down and were locked in, a shadow crossed her face as she thought, if only she could turn back time. Then she would make sure that she and Ryan would never part. There were so many things that she would have changed if she could have turned back the clock.

Ryan noticed the concerned look on her face. "What's the frown about? Don't tell me you're scared too?"

"I just don't want anything or anyone to ever come between us again." She replied as she put her hand on top of his that was clenched firmly on the safety bar and they began their ascent.

"Well in that case how about moving a little closer and then it will be virtually impossible for anything to come between us. There'll be no room." He suggested as they neared the top of the ride only to have a sudden jolt and the ride come to a complete halt. Ryan looked down concernedly. "What's going on?" he asked.

"You tell me, but I have a strong feeling of déjà vu." Marissa replied smiling. "I'm impressed Attwood. I didn't even see you pay them off to organise this. But you do know that you didn't have to do it. I'd already promised you a make out session to give you something else to think about up here and to keep your mind off the height."

"But I didn't …" Ryan started only to be cut off.

"Sure. I believe you but thousands wouldn't." Marissa replied as she lent her head to one side and brought her lips to his. Gently at first, she sucked his bottom lip … taking it in to her mouth and then pulling back only for a moment before she repeated the movement over and over, teasing him until she could sense his frustration and then she finally deepened the kiss … their mouths colliding as her tongue entered his mouth searching for his as she tried to show him what he meant to her. As their tongues met the sparks between the two threatened to ignite. Nothing had ever felt so right.

Ryan couldn't believe what was happening. He had a strange feeling of dizziness and he started to wonder if it was because of the height or because of the sensations that Marissa's tongue was evoking on his senses. But it was more than that. Images constantly flashed through his brain as if trying to give him hints of what he should be doing or thinking and it finally came to him. It was as if fate had decided to take control. The dress, the wedding, the Ferris Wheel, they were all trying to tell him that he could deal with Marissa's insecurities once and for all. It suddenly seemed so simple. He pulled back slightly and said breathlessly. "Marry me."


	103. The Proposition

_I'm happy that some of you enjoyed that post. There are interesting times ahead._

**The Proposition**

"What?" Marissa asked shocked and wondering if he really said what she thought he said.

"Marry me." he repeated softly, his eyes sparkling as he looked at her.

Marissa smiled. "I think I've already agreed to that." She said. "Don't tell me you've forgotten. Let me remind you. We were in your car on the Cohen's driveway …"

"No. I haven't forgotten." he smiled. "I mean here ... now."

Marissa pulled back a little to focus more clearly on his face, wondering if he was kidding or something. But he didn't look it. "Are you serious?" she asked.

Ryan nodded. "Never more so." He assured her.

"But …" she started to reply, a million thoughts running through her brain. She looked down at her jeans and sneakers and said "I know I said I wanted something simple but I'm wearing jeans, sneakers and a baseball cap …"

Ryan cut her off "Just tell me if you want to marry me?" he asked again. "It's a simple question." He explained.

When put like that Marissa knew that there was only one possible answer. "Of course." And as she watched the hint of a smile broaden on his face she added "Anywhere, anytime."

Ryan moved to retake her lips in his as the Ferris Wheel finally started to move again. He knew it was fate's sign that he'd made the right decision.

---

When they got off the Ferris wheel they quickly made their way through the crowds of young families and back out into the main street. Ryan promised himself that one day they would return with their own children and tell them about this fateful evening. He hadn't said another word to Marissa and she was starting to wonder if she had imagined it all. There was no doubt that her blood pressure was raised from their heated make out session but surely her mind wasn't playing tricks on her. As they started to make their way back to the Bellagio she couldn't take the suspense any longer so she stopped dead in her tracks and waited until Ryan turned to look at her and said. "What just happened back there?"

Ryan replied innocently "We went on the Ferris wheel. I thought you would have noticed."

"And …?" she pressed him to continue.

Ryan looked at her as if he didn't know what she was talking about. "And what?" he asked.

"And … was there anything else?" she asked frowning. She wasn't sure if he was playing around with her or not. Maybe in the anxiety of the moment, being stuck at the top of the Ferris wheel, it was Ryan's mind that had played tricks because he seemed to be acting as if nothing unusual had happened. Marissa decided that she would just go along with it for the moment. Surely he would say something about it soon ….presuming that it really did happen.

Ryan shook his head. "Nothing I can think of." He assured her.

"Then why do you seem to be in such a hurry to get back to the hotel?" Marissa asked.

"Because the tour is over and I'm looking for my tip." Ryan replied a small smile on his face. In truth his mind was working frantically making lists of things to do. But he wanted to try to surprise Marissa. He was scared that if they started to discuss it then she would think of some reason why they should postpone it.

Marissa couldn't help but return the smile. "And just what do you think would be an appropriate tip?" Marissa asked.

"The tip I'm hoping for, is of the highly inappropriate type." Ryan assured her. "And you promised to double it." He reminded her.

"So what does that mean?" Marissa asked.

"It means you won't be getting out of bed for quite some time." He replied, a smile stretching from ear to ear.

---

They managed to get back to their suite unnoticed and Marissa excused herself to go to the bathroom and freshen up. Ryan quickly called Keith with a list of instructions and then made himself comfortable. There was nothing else he could do until Keith got back to him.

When Marissa re-entered the room she smiled at Ryan lounged out across the bed, remote in hand, as he flicked through the TV channels looking for something to watch. She still didn't know quite what to make of what had happened on the Ferris wheel, but she had decided that if he didn't bring it up again then neither would she. Either her imagination was playing tricks on her or Ryan was and either way she wasn't going to lose sleep over it. She didn't want him to think that she didn't want to marry him, but there were too many reasons why they couldn't possibly get married right now so it was probably best to just let the whole thing pass. Her only concern was that Ryan had had second thoughts about the whole thing. But then she would have to agree that it didn't make sense right now anyhow.

"Find anything of interest?" she asked as he changed the channel yet again.

Ryan quickly turned off the television and ran his eyes over her from top to toe making his intentions clear. "Now I have." He replied as he patted the bed beside him indicating for her to join him.

Marissa did so happily. "Still looking for that tip?" she asked as she moved into his waiting arms.

"Well … I think I earned it." He replied lightly kissing her on the tip of her nose.

"Yes … you … did." Marissa replied between kisses.

The kisses intensified and deepened as their hands roamed over one another's bodies. The desire between them, threatening to ignite.

Marissa sat up and straddled him, pinning him to the bed and starting to peel off her clothes, suddenly finding them much too restrictive and wanting to feel her skin against his.

Ryan watched in awe as she dispensed of her blouse and bra and then she started on the buttons on his shirt. He couldn't take his eyes off her as he moved his hands to her breasts and watched her nipples harden between his fingers, her desire obvious in every way. Her eyes filled with passion. Once his shirt was dispensed with, she ran her hands over his muscular torso and then lent down until their bodies touched and their lips met. Her breasts moving over his chest, her tongue in his mouth, he could feel himself responding to her and he couldn't wait for what was to come. He loved it when she took charge and she obviously wanted to take things to the next level. Marissa stood up and pulled off her own jeans and was dispensing of her thong when the phone rang.

"I'd better get that." Ryan said breathlessly.

"No. Leave it." A naked Marissa said wanting to finish what she had started without interruption.

Ryan looked at her again, torn between wanting what was in front of him and what he knew the call was likely to be about. "Just one moment." He said reluctantly and picked up the phone. "Yes." He listened for a moment all the time with his eyes on Marissa now sitting on the edge of the bed. She still had not bothered to reach for her clothes and as Ryan continued to listen she became bored and started to run her hands over him trying to distract him from whoever was on the other end of the call.

Ryan was listening intently but as Marissa started to work her magic on him he tried to hold her hands in his spare one to stop her from distracting him. But the more he tried to stop her the more she persisted. She moved on to the bed and was now running her naked body over his while her hands worked on the buttons on his fly. Ryan pushed her hands away but he couldn't stop her as she moved behind him and started rubbing her naked body against his back this time. Her breasts pushed into his back as her hands wrapped around him to persist with their mission of removing his pants. "Ris." He gasped.

Marissa hesitated for a moment and then started her assault again this time nibbling on his ear at the same time.

This time Ryan actually stood up and moved himself away from her and out of reach. "I'll see you in a minute." He said into the receiver and hung up.

Marissa looked up. "See who in a minute?" she asked.

Ryan thought quickly. "There's some problem with my presentation for tomorrow. I just have to go and sort it out." He said.

"Now?" Marissa asked. She didn't like the idea of their activities being interrupted.

Ryan took another look at the beautiful naked woman in front of him and couldn't believe that he was about to leave her but he knew that it was all for a good cause. He nodded his head. "Yeah. I shouldn't be too long."

Marissa stood up and walked to the wardrobe to pull out one of the hotel gowns. "I hate to tell you but you look pretty long to me." she assured him making it obvious she was referring to the large bulge in his pants.

Ryan looked down and noticed that she was right. He couldn't very well walk out the door in this state. He pulled his shirt back on and made sure he left it out hoping that it would cover the bulge but then realised that it was even difficult to walk she had him in such a state of arousal. He tried desperately to rearrange things so that he could get out the door without too much discomfit. "Don't you go anywhere." He instructed. "We've got unfinished business." He said.

Marissa laughed. "Hurry back or I just might start without you."


	104. The Plans are made

_So not many reviews for the last post. I'm not sure what to make of that. Do you not like the direction it's taking or what? If you get a chance then let me know._

**The Plans are Made**

Ryan quickly (or at least as quickly as he could given the state of his arousal) made his way to Keith's room and knocked on the door. As soon as it opened he stepped inside and closed the door. He wanted to get back to Marissa as soon as possible. "So tell me again exactly what you found out?"

"The good news is that you don't need any blood tests. But you do need to get a license from the courthouse first. The bad news is that you have to do that in person so I can't help you there. But it should be straightforward. I couldn't find out exactly, because I wouldn't reveal your names, but I gather that it doesn't take very long and they will endeavour to process it quickly if they are aware that you are VIP's. So you and Marissa would definitely pass." Keith informed him.

Ryan nodded. "Thanks. I'd really like to surprise Marissa with all of this but I am going to need your help."

"You know that I'll do anything." Keith assured him.

"You might regret saying that." Ryan smiled as he replied. "But first I need you to do some shopping for me. I need you to pick up Marissa's dress ..." Ryan started only to be cut off.

"Um Ryan. I may have made a visit to Victoria's Secret for Marissa that you will never let me live down, but I really don't think that I'm the right person to buy Marissa's wedding dress. Maybe Annabel …" Keith started only to be cut off by Ryan.

"Don't worry. You only have to pick it up. Actually thinking about it, they will probably deliver it. I'll give them a call." Ryan assured him. For some reason Ryan didn't think that Marissa would want Annabel having anything to do with her wedding dress. "But I'm still going to need you to book the chapel for me and organise the flowers and ..."

"I hate to put a dampener on all this … but have you considered how the paparazzi are going to react when they find out about this? They will go bananas. I'm afraid that I'm not going to be able to keep them at bay by myself. Maybe we should contact Bill and organise to get some help." Keith suggested.

Ryan shook his head. "I don't want to be out numbered by security. But I have had an idea that I think could work that I need to run by you. And please feel free to say no. I realise that it is a big ask."

"Fire away." Keith replied only too happy to help.

---

Annabel was luxuriating in the enormous spa bath in her honeymoon suite. She had opened a bottle of champagne that had been delivered courtesy of the management and she knew the only thing that could make life better at this very moment would be to have Ryan sharing the tub with her. She allowed the thought to roll around her mind. She wondered if Ryan and Marissa were still not talking and couldn't keep the smile off her face when she was startled by the ring of the telephone. Fortunately there was a phone beside the bath and within reach so she pulled her mind back from the blissful dream she was having and answered. "Hello."

"Annabel. It's Ryan. I need to see you urgently."

Annabel felt like her dreams were about to come true. Maybe Ryan and Marissa had finally broken up and he needed a shoulder to cry on. "Come right on up. I'll be waiting for you." She replied and hung up. She looked around the room wishing that there was some way that she could stay in the bubble filled tub and let Ryan in by remote control and then he could come and join her or even better he could watch as she emerged from the tub but unfortunately she was going to have to open the door. Lifting herself out of the tub she contemplated whether to put on her new teddy but eventually decided to just pull on one of the hotel gowns over her naked body. She would keep the teddy for their next time. She moved to the small bar to get another champagne flute for Ryan and poured some of the crisp frosty liquid into the glass and set it on the small table just as the door bell rang. She took a moment to check her cleavage in the mirror wanting to make sure that she wasn't being too obvious but also wanting to be showing enough to make sure he got the hint and knew that she was available whenever he was ready. Opening the door she was surprised to find Ryan with Keith standing behind him.

They quickly entered and Ryan gave her no more than a passing glance. "Sorry to bother you. But this is important." He said as he moved to the sofa and sat down.

Keith stood quietly, but was enjoying the view as Annabel sat down alongside Ryan and the gown fell open just enough for them to see a large expanse of shapely leg. "What's the problem?" she asked.

Ryan had a moment of misgiving about including Annabel in his plans but he could really think of no other way. "First, I need to know that anything I say to you will be kept completely confidential?" Ryan asked.

"Of course." She assured him wondering what this was all about.

"I have to ask a favour of you, well two actually …The first one is a lot easier than the second but I want you to know that you don't have to agree to either. It's just …" Ryan started and then couldn't find the words to finish.

Annabel had never seen Ryan in such a state he was so nervous. There was sweat beading on his brow. "Ryan what is it?"

He took a deep breath. "Marissa and I are getting married tomorrow and I wondered if you would be a witness?"

Annabel was completely dumbfounded. She could feel the blood running from her head and was scared that she was going to faint. She blinked her eyes slowly trying to refocus them. "What?" she whispered.

"Marissa and I are getting married and we need two witnesses. Keith has volunteered to be one and I'd like you to be the other. But if you don't want to … then I know that we can get the chapel to supply one. I just know that we would prefer it not to be a stranger." He explained.

Annabel was stunned. When her mind started to function again she panicked. "Ryan just because you're in Vegas you shouldn't rush in to this sort of thing." She managed to get out.

"I'm not rushing in to it. Well I guess I am … " he corrected, smiling as he said it "but we had already planned for it to happen. I'm just moving it forward a bit. Or a lot." He added.

Annabel was having trouble processing the whole thing. She was sure they had been about to break up. They had been fighting. What had happened to bring this on? "Is Marissa pregnant?" she asked, thinking that would explain the sudden rush to the altar. She knew that Ryan was too much the gentlemen to ever let his child be born out of wedlock and it would explain the sudden rush. And thinking that, she decided that she wouldn't put it passed Marissa to trap him that way. In truth she just wished that she had thought of it first.

"No." Ryan snapped and then realising that it had actually been a possibility not that long ago and that they had already been down that path he softened and added "And it doesn't matter whether she is or not … the fact is we are going to be married whether you consent to being a witness or not."

Annabel realised that Ryan was getting upset with her. "But what about a pre-nup? Your worth millions. Surely you need to get something drawn up to protect you from …" she started looking for any way to postpone it.

"Annabel. I don't care about the money. All I want is to be with Marissa ... for the rest of my life." He stated simply. "So will you be a witness or not?"

Annabel looked at Keith and then back at Ryan who was waiting expectantly, What could she do but agree? She slowly nodded her head.

"Sure." She looked back at Keith who kindly smiled at her. She would swear that he understood just how hard it was for her to say that.

"The other thing I need to explain, is that this is a surprise for Marissa." Ryan said.

"What?" Annabel cried. Surely this time he had to be kidding. "She doesn't know?"

Ryan shook his head. "She has agreed in principle. But she has no idea about how, where or when." He explained.

"But how can … "Annabel was dumbfounded.

"Keith and I are organising it all." Ryan explained.

Annabel nodded trying to take it all in.

"Thank you. Obviously this is completely confidential. If the press get any idea of what we intend to do then they will make a complete circus out of it." Ryan explained.

"I understand." Annabel assured him pulling the gown closer together. It all seemed so pointless all of a sudden and she was beginning to feel like a tramp sitting there naked underneath the hotel gown.

"And we will be keeping it a secret for several months yet. At least until after Seth and Summer are married." He explained further.

Annabel just nodded her head again. She was still trying to come to terms with the knowledge of what he was planning. She thought that she had weathered the worst of the storm, until she heard Ryan's next words.

"And that brings me to the next question … the BIG question … " Ryan started, wondering just what sort of reaction he was going to get.

_A/N Sorry to leave it there but I am going away for a few days. I'll post as soon as I get back._


	105. The Coconspirators

_So I'm back from my short break. Hope you enjoy this post._

**The Co-conspirators**

"Please understand that you are under no pressure to agree to this. It's just the only thing I could think of that may get us through this without the press catching on." Ryan explained.

Annabel was completely confused now. She looked to Keith who smiled reassuringly.

"I wondered if you and Keith … would pretend to be getting married? Then Marissa and I could pretend to be your witnesses." Ryan suggested.

Annabel was dumbfounded.

Ryan quickly explained. "I just thought it might be the only way they could accept us heading off to a wedding chapel without them realising what was really happening and turning the whole thing into a joke." Ryan stressed.

Annabel sat there stunned. When she could, she looked up at Keith and asked. "What do you think about this?"

He shrugged. "It's fine by me." he replied. "I might not ever get that close to being married to a beautiful woman again so I have nothing to lose." He assured her, a smile on his face. "But you should make your own decision. Don't let me influence you."

Annabel nodded and then turned to Ryan who was sitting watching her. She was sure that he was holding his breath waiting for her answer.

"I …" she didn't know what to say.

"Just think about it." Ryan suggested. He didn't want her to dismiss it without thinking it through. But he couldn't think of any other way for them to pull it off without the paparazzi realising what was going on.

Annabel looked back at Keith again. He shrugged again, indicating that it was all up to her. "What exactly would I have to do?" she asked Ryan.

That was all Ryan needed. He wanted to make the idea as appealing as possible to her. "Well tomorrow, you and Keith would go shopping for a dress and rings. All at my expense of course. We have booked the chapel for 6 pm. So the intention is that we would meet you at 5 and then go to the courthouse to get the license then go straight to the chapel. After the wedding we would have a small celebration and then Marissa and I will go off to the dinner at the conference. I figure that no one would expect me to go to a boring old conference and deliver a speech on my wedding night."

Annabel nodded.

"You and Keith can then either go out on the town or I thought it might be a nice touch if you come back to the hotel and had a candle lite dinner here. But that is up to you."

"You don't have to have dinner with me if you don't want." Keith stated. "I can just bring you back to the room." He assured her.

Annabel smiled. "And eat on my own? I don't think so….." Annabel sat quietly for a while thinking it through. "This isn't exactly the wedding I'd dreamed of ... " she assured them, thinking of her dreams of Ryan and not a sturdily built bodyguard … but obviously that wasn't going to happen. "But it would certainly make a good story in years to come. And … I was always told to make the best of what you've got … so why not." She replied. "And I get a new dress." She added for good measure. "Do I get shoes as well?" she asked now teasing Ryan.

Ryan laughed. "Absolutely. What's a dress without matching shoes. Marissa would never forgive me. I'll even throw in the honeymoon." He teased.

Annabel smiled. This weekend was certainly turning out to be different from what she had expected. "Then I'm in." she replied. If nothing else this would certainly remove any chance of boredom from the weekend.

Ryan quickly grabbed her and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you. But I have to get back to Marissa. She will wonder what has happened to me." He turned to Keith. "Are you okay with what you need to do?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'll see you at 5 tomorrow." He assured Ryan.

"Okay. Just give me a call if you think of anything else." Ryan said as he made his way out the door.

Keith started to follow but was stopped by Annabel. "Wait." She said.

Keith turned back to her.

"Don't you think that we should at least eat dinner together if we are getting married tomorrow?"

He smiled. "You don't have to."

"I know I don't have to. But I hate to eat alone. Maybe we could go out and show our faces around. At least then it won't seem quite so odd when we turn up together tomorrow." She suggested.

Keith couldn't help but think that her idea held some merit. "That's probably not such a bad idea." He said.

"Well you don't have to make it sound like it's so unexpected. I'm not blonde you know?" she teased.

Keith held her gaze as he wondered if he should ask her to prove it. Given that she was obviously naked underneath the robe it would be easy. But he decided that perhaps it was a little too early to suggest something like that. Although there was no doubt that she'd been checking him out as well. He knew that from the time they were introduced that there had been a degree of attraction.

Annabel watched the play of emotions on his face and as he raised his eyebrows she knew exactly what he was thinking. She couldn't help but think that this could actually turn out to be fun.

"You know going out to dinner with me shouldn't be such a chore. You could pretend to like the idea." She teased.

"But I do like the idea." He replied. "Maybe a little too much."

Annabel laughed. She revised her opinion; this was definitely going to be fun. "Go and put your glad rags on and come back and get me in 10 minutes and I promise I'll be dressed a little more appropriately." She assured him.

"I rather like the way you're dressed right now." He teased looking at her cleavage and the long expanse of leg as she moved to push him out the door.

"Down boy. Play your cards right and you'll get to see it again." She assured him.

---

Ryan let himself quietly back in to the room only to find Marissa in bed. She had the remote in her hand but her eyes were closed and she had dozed off …. or so it seemed. He noticed the hotel gown on the end of the bed and realised that she was naked, her bare shoulders apparent above the sheets.

Slipping off his clothes, he quickly pulled back the covers to join her and as he cuddled up to her, she sleepily said "If you're from house-keeping you'd better have your way with me quickly, I'm expecting company."

Ryan laughed quietly. He started to run his hands over her naked body pulling her in to his, wanting to feel their naked flesh touching. "I'm not from house-keeping. I'm the tour guide."

Marissa still had her eyes closed. "Oh yes. I remember. The guy with the big dingle dangle. Do you know how to use that thing?" she asked opening one eye slightly.

"I think I can manage it." He replied the smile growing on his face.

"Hmmm." She said as she slowly opened her other eye. "Well, as I remember, I owe you, so let me just take a closer look at it and we'll decide how to proceed." She suggested as she slid down under the covers kissing his body on the way down and running her hands over him. As she neared her target Ryan could feel himself stiffening at the shear thought of what was about to happen the anticipation killing him as he waited for her to finally take him in her mouth … But nothing did happen. After a moment she slid back up to look at him.

"What?" he asked wondering what was going on?

"I was just having a look." she said. "What did you think I was doing?" she asked smiling.

"You tease …" Ryan said as he rolled her over and pinned her to the bed and began to grind his hips against her … making her fully aware of what she had done to him.

"Look who's talking. Do you have any idea of the state you left me in when you went off to fix your little problem? I swear if some one from house-keeping had walked in I may just have jumped them on the spot." She informed him.

"Well I'm here now. So how about you show me what you've got." Ryan suggested.

Marissa smiled and took his hardness in her hand and guided him into her moist hotness. Ryan moaned as she encompassed him. "Oh my God, Ris."

Marissa waited for the ripple of pleasure to subside and she whispered. "I've got one of these."


	106. Waking Up

**Waking up**

As the fog lifted from his sleep addled brain he experienced that feeling of disorientation that you have when you wake up knowing that you are not in your own bed. But as he felt the limbs of the naked woman beside him entwined with his own he couldn't help but smile. The night they had shared had been amazing. He lay there thinking over it as she started to slowly stretch beside him. He watched her as she reminded him of a sleek cat as her muscles seemed to flex in ripples. Her eyes slowly opened to meet his.

"Hey." he said.

"Hey to you too." She replied and then leaned in for a kiss. It started out as something casual and sweet but soon became so much more as they both were reminded of the experiences of the last night. He pulled her in closer as her hands moved over his naked body, loving the feel of him.

He pulled back reluctantly. "We should probably get up. We've got things to do." He suggested.

She moved her hand lower, stroking him along his shaft. "It seems that someone is already up." she replied and rolled on top of him. He knew that he should stop her but he was powerless to do so; his breathing already shortening as he waited for her next move. She didn't disappoint, as she sat up astride him and took him into her moist core and began to move upon him. He couldn't take his eyes off her as she rocked upon him. When she was getting close she threw back her head and placed her hands behind her on his legs so that she could watch them in the mirror over the bed. It was like watching your own personal porn show. He followed her lead and couldn't take his eyes from the mirror as he moved his hips to thrust further into her and join in her rhythm and take them both over the edge. She screamed in ecstasy as she collapsed back on top of him.

They lay gasping in one another's arms and he panted.

"You know when you suggested that we get to know one another … this wasn't quite what I was expecting."

"Complaining?" she gasped still trying to recover.

"Hardly." He replied.

"Well I didn't want to marry you today and then find out you were a bad lay." Annabel replied.

Keith laughed out loud. "I hope I passed the test?"

"You'll do." She replied, a smile on her face telling him the real truth.

---

Ryan woke early the next morning. In truth, he hadn't slept much at all. In between their bedroom activities, he had lain awake thinking about what he needed to do to make the day go off without a hitch. He was surprised that Marissa hadn't pushed him further about their conversation on the Ferris wheel. He knew that if they talked about it, she would have all sorts of reasons why it couldn't happen and there would be the possibility that she would change her mind …. That sanity would prevail and they would postpone it until after Seth and Summer's wedding again. But the more he had thought about it, the more he wanted it. Hell, he'd wanted it since the first time he saw her. And now, it was so close to actually happening that he didn't want anything to stop them. His only regret was that the Cohen's would not be there. But they would have another ceremony, a confirmation of their vows, after Seth and Summer's wedding and they would celebrate with their family and friends then. For now all he really needed was Marissa. She was all he had ever needed to make his life complete.

And now that he had started, he was just hoping to make it all a surprise for her. Of course the other problem was trying to keep it from the paparazzi. If they were to work out what was going on and announce it to the world, then he didn't think that Seth and Summer would ever forgive them. So he just hoped that the diversion of Keith and Annabel would work.

Marissa started to stir beside him and he couldn't help but smile as he looked over at her, her bed-hair strewn over the pillow. He pulled her in to him as her eyes opened to connect instantly with his. She smiled. "Aren't you my tour guide?" she asked.

"That's me. But you promised to double my tip. So I thought I'd wait for the next round." He informed her.

"You may have to wait a while. I think I need food before I can take in anymore of you and your strenuous activities." Marissa replied.

"You had no trouble taking all of me in last night …. and earlier this morning." Ryan replied cheekily.

Marissa tried to swat him. But it was difficult to accomplish at close quarters. "If you want me to 'take you in again' then I need food." She said as her tummy rumbled to add credence to her words. "That hot dog was quite a while ago."

"Well I did offer to take you out to dinner last night. You were the one that didn't want to get out of bed."

"Well to start with, I was having too much fun to stop." She explained.

"To start with?" Ryan asked. "And what happened then. You stopped having fun?"

"No. But I'd had so much fun that my body didn't seem to function very well anymore. You seem to be able to turn it to jelly." She added.

Ryan laughed but reached for the phone. "So … sustenance hey? What would you like?" he asked as Marissa made her way from the bed to the adjoining bathroom. "Pancakes?" he suggested.

"Yes please and juice". She replied. "And coffee."

"And?" he teased. "Anything else I can help you with?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something." She suggested as she made her way from the room.

---

They ate breakfast at the small table looking out at the city and the surrounding desert. They were both dressed in the white towelling robes supplied by the hotel and Marissa was expecting that after breakfast they would return to bed but Ryan said that he had things to do.

"If you're going off to your boring old conference then what am I supposed to do?" she asked.

"Well you could always give Annabel a call and go shopping." Ryan suggested knowing that it would be the last thing that Marissa would want.

"Thanks but no thanks. Any other bright ideas?" she asked.

He smiled. "I've actually made you a booking at the day spa." He explained. "I hear that the one they have here is supposed to be very good. Go and pamper yourself for the day and I'll see you back here about 3."

"Hmmm. That actually sounds really good. I could have a manicure and a pedicure. And I could do with a massage. Who knows the masseuse might be a hunk?" she teased.

"The only hunky masseuse that I want any where near you is me." Ryan responded.

"A tour guide and a masseuse? You really are one in a million." Marissa teased.

"And don't forget I'm hung." Ryan added.

Marissa burst out laughing. "Is that right?"

"You told me so last night." Ryan replied.

"I may just need to be reminded about that. If I could just inspect …" she said moving to undo the tie on his gown.

"Oh no." Ryan pulled back out of reach. "I'll never get out the door if you start inspecting now. I know you. Inspecting leads to ..."

"Touching? Which leads to Testing? Which leads to … bed." she suggested raising her eyebrows.

Ryan laughed. "Exactly." he answered.

Marissa hung her head down and pouted playfully. "Maybe I will just have to check out that masseuse."

"How about you come and help me shower first." He said reaching for her.

"Need someone to wash your back?" Marissa asked.

"Something like that. And … with a bit of luck by the time I've finished with you, you'll barely be able to walk, let alone show any interest in any one else."

Marissa smiled. "I like the sound of that. Let's see what you've got big boy?" she said teasing him about his question from the previous night. She pulled off her gown to reveal her naked body and made her way to the bathroom before him turning at the door to look back over her shoulder at a drooling Ryan. "You coming?"

He laughed as he joined her. "Very soon, I suspect."


	107. The Rings

_Buckle in - this is a long one. Enjoy!!_

**The rings**

Ryan walked Marissa to the day spa and made sure that she was booked in for a body wrap, facial, waxing and enough treatments that she would be busy for several hours. He didn't want to take the chance that he would run into her and spoil the surprise. Next stop was to Chanel, where he purchased the dress and matching beaded shoes and took them back to the room. He quickly wrote her a short note that he left on top of the dress box, in case she got back to the room before him and found the dress and then he made his way to Bill's office. He'd decided that he needed some local knowledge to help him with the finer points of his plans. But at the same time he wasn't sure whether he trusted Bill with the knowledge of what he really had planned. All he would need would be for the news to get out and then the paparazzi would completely destroy any chance he would have of actually pulling this off. He knew he would have to decide in a hurry whether Bill was trustworthy but he would just go with his gut instincts. They usually served him well. When he got to the administration offices Bill greeted him. "Ryan come on through. What can I do to help you?" he asked.

Ryan still hadn't decided just how much he wanted to reveal. "Firstly, I was wondering if you could recommend a jeweller to me. Some one discrete."

Bill smiled knowingly. "Of course." He said the smile growing larger on his face.

"Is there a problem with that?" Ryan asked not liking the smirk on the other man's face.

"No. Sorry." Bill replied. "It's just that she's a very beautiful woman. I can understand why you would want to keep her happy." Although from what Bill could remember she wasn't happy at all when they'd arrived yesterday. Maybe Ryan was looking for a little jewellery to thaw out the icy princess.

Ryan couldn't help but return the smile ... she was beautiful ... but he already knew that the way to keep Marissa happy was not by buying her jewellery. She wasn't interested in his money at all. After the night they'd just shared, he thought it more likely that she was after his body than his money. But he didn't think he needed to share that with Bill. He could let him believe what he currently did but then decided to correct him and put him totally off the scent. "Yes she is." He hesitated and then added. "But the jewellery isn't for her. Annabel and Keith have decided to tie the knot and as best man I have been given the job of purchasing the rings." He replied.

Bill was obviously surprised at first but then decided that it did make sense. He had wondered yesterday why Annabel was in the honeymoon suite all on her own. But then Keith had a room of his own too. So that didn't really make sense. But then he'd seen them having dinner together last night and they certainly seemed 'friendly'. And they'd actually had a complaint about the noises coming from Annabel's room last night, that, when he'd gone to investigate … well it was obvious just what the noise was …. He had chosen not to disturb them. Obviously they had been getting a head start on the honeymoon fun. "I can organise you a private appointment at Tiffany's and I'll even take you myself. The manager there is very good at being discrete. He knows it's why he gets so much of the top end business. And I can get you there without anyone being any the wiser." He explained.

"That sounds great." Ryan replied. "I'll also need a car and driver this afternoon."

"A limo?" Bill asked.

"I'd prefer not. They attract too much attention. And Annabel and Keith have asked to keep this as low key as possible. Marissa and I don't want to spoil it for them by attracting too much attention and taking the shine off it. It is their show." Ryan explained. "If news gets out that we are there it could spoil the whole event for them."

"Of course. I understand." Bill replied. "How about a black SUV? And I'll even drive it myself so that will be one less person to know about what is going on."

"That would be perfect." Ryan replied.

"Is their anything else you need?" Bill asked.

"Not unless you have a contact at the courthouse to smooth things along?" Ryan replied. He thought he was pushing his luck but was surprised by the answer.

"I just may." Bill replied. "Money talks in Vegas. If you want I could make sure that they got their license without having to wait in line. Hell, I can even organise for it to happen without anyone knowing … but it will cost them."

"Just tell me how. I'll cover the cost." Ryan replied. He couldn't help but think that he'd made the right decision in not letting on to Bill exactly what was planned. He had a feeling that Bill would have been more than happy to reveal the information for the right price.

"Just leave it with me. I'll set it up. When did you want to this to happen?" he asked.

"If you could have the car ready at 5 to take us to the courthouse. I believe that Keith has booked the chapel for 6." Ryan replied.

"No problem. I'll find out how much it's going to cost you and let you know. They'll be expecting cash." He said. "But just let me call Tiffany's and we'll get these rings organised.

---

Once Keith and Annabel had managed to get themselves out of bed, they actually enjoyed their day together. Annabel had never imagined that wedding dress shopping could be so much fun. They went to a few different stores and she made Keith sit and watch while she tried on a number of dresses that she paraded before him. He loved every minute of it. She was turning out to be a truly delightful companion in more ways than one. Any initial reluctance she'd had with the plan seemed to be long gone. She was obviously having fun. Even dragging him in to one of the change rooms for a quick coupling along the way, that she informed him was 'just to keep her going.' Whenever he though he had her pegged, she surprised him yet again. She had eventually decided on a traditional white gown that had a strapless lace bodice with a dropped waist and then a silk skirt with a tulle petticoat that rustled as she walked. She looked like she could have been the model for the dolls that are used to decorate wedding cakes he thought. But as she convinced him, there would be no debate over who was the bride in their group of four. They purchased matching shoes, more condoms and after much discussion … a new suit for Keith and then retreated to their rooms to get ready.

---

Ryan meanwhile was being led in through the back door of Tiffany's to meet with their manager who quickly took him through into a private room. He explained that he was after wedding rings for friends of his that were getting married and was shown all of the usual bands, along with some that were a little more unusual. He had been hoping to find something that both he and Marissa would be able to wear on their right hands without looking too weddingified but was starting to give up hope. He was debating buying some Russian wedding rings in yellow, white and rose gold when he spotted an unusual ring tucked away at the back of the display case that he was being shown.

"What's this?" he asked.

"That's actually an Irish Claddaugh Ring." The manager explained. "The design always includes a crown, heart, and hands held together, representing friendship, love and eternity. The ring was first invented in the 16th century and it is worn both during the dating stage and after marriage, by turning the point of the heart towards the body after marriage."

Ryan ran his fingers over the intricate design and knew he'd found what he was looking for. "I'll take a set of these plus a set of the traditional gold bands." He replied. "They can choose whichever they prefer." Ryan suggested trying to keep up the pretence of shopping for friends.

"Certainly. You can just return the ones that you don't require."

"Thanks." Ryan replied.

"And if your friends would like to drop in when it's convenient then we can resize them to fit."

"Thank you. I'll let them know." Ryan replied, knowing full well that the sizes he requested he knew to be correct for him and Marissa. Unfortunately they mightn't fit Keith and Annabel but Ryan and Marissa's would be fine. He had guessed that the little finger of their right hands would be about the same size as the ring finger on the left hand so hopefully that wouldn't be a problem. And he thought that the rings were perfect. Not only would they be able to get away with them as friendship rings but also they had an Irish heritage just as Marissa did. He knew that she would love them.

---

As Marissa made her way back to the room she couldn't wait to see Ryan. While she was being pampered at the day spa, she'd had plenty of time to think. And she had thought long and hard about all sorts of things. Their relationship being one of them and her mother being another and she had come to a decision that she wanted to share with Ryan as soon as possible.

She got back to their room just before three and she was feeling wonderful. She'd had a whole day of pampering and felt like a new woman. She opened the door of their suite hoping to find Ryan, but the first thing she noticed was a large decorated gift box on the bed. Moving to inspect it she found a note in Ryan's writing.

_Ris,_

_Would you wear this for me tonight? I've been held up but I'll be back as soon as I can. We are meeting with Keith and Annabel at 5. _

_Love_

_R. _

She refolded the note with a smile on her face thinking that he hadn't changed all that much from the boy she first fell in love with… still not that big on words. She untied the box and opened it to find the dress from Chanel along with the matching shoes. She pulled the dress from the box and held it up to her spinning around. It was perfect and she loved it. Just as she loved him. She couldn't wait to wear it. She sat on the edge of the bed overwhelmed by his thoughtfulness. She guessed that he had bought it for her to make her feel confident. There was no doubt that she was a little nervous about tonight's appearance. It would be her first time as his partner at an official public function. Sure there had been a lot of speculation in the press about the state of their relationship but up until this point they had never confirmed or denied it. But this was the first step to making things official. And much as part of her couldn't wait … another part was nervous.

He was one of America's Golden Boys, and anything he did attracted attention. So she would have to expect and accept that from this point on they would not have a moment's peace. Not that they'd had much to date. And no doubt she would attract some criticism. She was sure that some people would think that he could do better; that many people thought that because she had never gone to college that she was nothing more than a glorified coat hangar and that Ryan should have been with someone more fitting his intellectual abilities. She just hoped that if her future plans came off then she would be able to prove them wrong. Who would have thought when they first met that things would turn out like this? Her mother always thought that Marissa was better than him … now Marissa felt, the tables were reversed and she needed to prove herself worthy of him. She knew that Ryan loved her just the way she was but she didn't think he'd mind the new improved Marissa Cooper either.

She moved to the bathroom to start getting ready, wanting to be able to take her time and not rush. She was hoping that she would be able to do him justice and she thought that in this gown she just may be able to.

---

Bill re-entered his office to find the phone on his desk ringing. Picking it up he answered quickly. "Bill Rapson."

"Got anything for me?" the voice on the other end enquired.

"Not much. Atwood and Cooper are making a grand appearance at that architect's dinner tonight. But you already knew about that. She's quite a looker so that could be a worthwhile photo. Someone will pay for it. Hell, as long as her dress is skimpy enough, I'd pay." He laughed.

"Yeah. You sleaze. I'm sure you would. I've got that covered. Nothing else interesting?"

"Not really. His bodyguard and P.A. are doing the Vegas quickie and they are going to be witnesses, but they are trying to keep it low key." Bill replied.

"Think I should check it out?"

"If they weren't doing the dinner tonight then I'd probably say yeah, but I figure that you'll get a better photo at the dinner and it should be just of the two of them. I can't imagine that anyone would want to pay for a photo of his bodyguard and P.A.'s wedding" Bill responded.

"So there's no way that Atwood and Cooper would do the deed?"

"Exactly which deed are we talking about?" Bill asked laughing. "If you are talking about the horizontal mambo then I'm sure they're doing the deed …"

"Get your mind out of the gutter. You know what I'm talking about."

"Yeah … I do … But no… Can't imagine it. They haven't been together very long and he doesn't seem like the kind of guy that would make spur of the moment decisions. Too much the successful businessman. I'm sure he thinks everything through. Plus she was a little … no, not a little, a lot … 'frosty' when they arrived yesterday. Maybe she's one of those ice queens. She was barely speaking to him and the looks she was giving him were like daggers. Mind you she is hot to look at. I wouldn't mind a bit of …." Bill started only to be interrupted.

"You've got no chance."

"Yeah. You're right. But I figured that I volunteer to drive them to the courthouse just in case. If they do try to get a license then Eric will let me know and I'll call you straightaway." Bill stated.

"Okay. What time is that?"

"He's asked for the car at 5." Bill replied.

"Okay. Well, I'll wait to hear from you."

"Fine. But besides my fee, I want a copy of any good photos you get of her. Preferably with a tit falling out or something like that if you can manage it." Bill laughed.

"If only. Could you imagine how much I could get for that? It'd be even better if he would try to tuck it back in for her."

"I'd be prepared to volunteer for that job." Bill suggested. "Hell I'd even pay for the privilege."

"If she's really that good maybe I'll turn up to the wedding anyhow. Do you know where it's at?"

"Not yet. But I can call you and let you know when I do." Bill said.

"Okay. If nothing else comes up, I may as well turn up and get a few shots and file them away, just in case tonight is a fizzer."

"Okay. I'll see you a little later on. Just remember, I've never seen you before in my life and vice versa." Bill stated clearly. "Atwood clearly stated that he wanted the whole thing kept quiet. So he wouldn't be too happy if he knew where you got your information. And I just get the feeling that he's not the kind of man you'd want to get on the wrong side of." Bill added.

"Yeah. I know. Mom's the word."

---

Ryan quickly made his way back to the hotel. He couldn't wait to see Marissa and see what she had thought of the first part of her surprise. But the nearer he got to the room, the more misgivings he was having. He started to question whether this was such a good idea. Seth had rung earlier to ask them to dinner. It turns out that he had completely forgotten that Ryan and Marissa were in Las Vegas for the weekend. But ever since the call, Ryan had been feeling guilty about what he was intending to do and the fact that Seth and Summer would not be there for it. Maybe Marissa would feel even more strongly about it.

And it didn't help that he had a bad feeling about Bill. He couldn't put his finger on it but something about him just seemed a little off. And then of course there was the problem with what he had asked Annabel and Keith to do. He was starting to think that he was insane to even contemplate going through with it. He pushed his hands into the pockets of his jacket and felt the two small boxes in there. Rubbing his fingers over them he wondered just what he should do. He could still get out of it all. He was sure that Keith and Annabel wouldn't mind and they were the only ones who knew what he had actually planned.

Reaching the door of their room, he opened it just as Marissa emerged from the bathroom wrapped in the white towelling bath robe. Their eyes met across the room as Marissa said "Hey … there you are, I've got something to talk to you about."

Ryan just stared at her. "Me too." He replied.


	108. Marissa's Epiphany

_I really hope that you enjoy this post. I think that it's pretty important in the development of their relationship. Enjoy!_

_And I'm sorry to whoever asked me to end this soon but I still have a way to go yet. But if you all feel that way let me know and I can just stop posting._

**Marissa's epiphany**

"You first." Marissa said smiling.

"No … ladies first." Ryan replied thinking at least she was smiling. He thought that if her news was good then he'd rather hear it first; anything to delay making a decision about what he should do.

Marissa took his hand and pulled him over and sat him down on the side of the bed and sat down beside him, their hands still linked.

"You smell good." Ryan said breathing deeply and wanting nothing more than to bury his head in the side of her neck. But knowing where that would lead and the fact that he had some momentous decisions to make in the very near future, stopped him from acting on those ideas.

Now that the time had come to tell him what she had been thinking about all day … the words just didn't seem to want to come ... so she took the easy way out and spoke about something else. "I love my dress … and my shoes. You know that you didn't have to do that?" Marissa started.

"I'm really being selfish. I thought it was beautiful too and I just wanted to have the pleasure of seeing you in it." He replied.

"And here I was thinking you only liked seeing me out of clothes?" she teased.

"Well, I can't deny, I do like you that way." Ryan was starting to wonder if maybe they did have time for a quick romp in the bed ... but he knew that now was not the time; although it was becoming more and more difficult to distract himself from the idea, with Marissa sitting beside him, barely clothed and being flirty. "How was your day at the spa?" he asked.

"Great." She answered. There was a moments silence while Marissa tried to get back on track knowing that she wanted to clear things up with Ryan now ... while it was all still fresh in her mind. "I … I um …"

"You um?" Ryan queried. "Don't tell me. Let me guess. The masseuse was ugly." He teased.

"You know quite well I didn't get a massage. I bet you deliberately filled my day up with treatments so that there was no time left for one. Didn't you?" she asked laughing.

"Would I do that?" Ryan asked innocently.

"Yes. But that wasn't what I wanted to tell you about. Although I guess that the two things are sort of related." She added.

Ryan looked at her puzzled about what was coming next.

"I did a lot of thinking." She stated.

"About?" he asked.

"Us." Marissa replied.

Ryan had no idea what was likely to come next. He could feel his heart thumping in his chest. Were all his ideas about to go belly up anyhow? Maybe she'd changed her mind about what she'd said yesterday. He shook his head trying to clear it of the dozens of things going through it all at once. "What about us?" he asked.

Marissa could see that Ryan was concerned and wanted to reassure him. "Don't worry. It was all good. It's just that I realised that this." She held up their entwined hands. "Us ... It's different from before." She said and then realising he was even more confused she added. "Well I know that you're still you and I'm still me but we're different. I don't know if it's because we are older and wiser or because we both realise how close we went to losing one another when we were apart and we just don't want to ever be in that position again. But somehow, I know that what we have this time around is strong ... stronger than I ever imagined possible."

Marissa looked at him to see if what she was saying was getting through to him; it had all seemed so simple to her when she had thought about it. She tried to think of an example and continued. "The thing with Charlotte … the thing with me not telling you about the calls from Dan and my Mom … the disagreement that we had yesterday after you spoke to Dan … once upon a time we would have both over reacted to any one of those and ended up fighting or worse … taking time apart and then splitting up. But … okay … so maybe we could have handled things better … but there was never a chance that that would happen. Somehow I knew that even though we disagreed on things that we would work it out ... together… and find a way through it. I was angry with you yesterday. But there was never a chance that we weren't going to work through it. The fact is that you are the most important thing in the world to me and …" she held up her hand as Ryan was about to interrupt "and before you say anything, I need to finish ... I think just as important … is … that I have finally realised and accepted that you feel the same. I'm not insecure anymore. I have confidence in the fact that you love me just as much as I love you. Nothing is going to come between us again." She finished and smiled broadly. Proud of the fact that she had finally got it all out.

Ryan's face broke into a huge smile. He felt like he had just been given a precious gift. "Can I talk yet?" he asked softly.

"Nope I'm not quite finished." She added smiling. "And so … I've decided … that I'm no longer scared of my mother. Nothing she can say or do will ever make a difference to the way we feel about each other … and since it means so much to you … I am prepared to go and see her. On one proviso … and that is … you have to come with me." Marissa looked at Ryan waiting for a reaction … any reaction. But when he said nothing she added. "That's not because I'm insecure and think that she can do anything to come between us … but more … that I want to show her just how happy we are together."

Ryan bent his head and kissed her sweetly at first and then he moved his hand to gently cup her head as the kiss between them deepened. Marissa moved to push him back down on to the bed but Ryan resisted her.

"Wait." He gasped trying to stop her from kissing him so that he could talk to her. He was unbelievably happy that she finally felt confident in what they had. It was all he had ever hoped for. He knew that he had thought that the wedding would help her to realise and trust in his love. But for her to reach that point on her own was even more precious to him. And in light of her new faith in them, he knew that in stead of him making a decision about the wedding that they would make it – together.

Marissa hesitated, wondering what he wanted to say and what could be so important that he would stop what they had been about to do. "You don't want to?" she asked puzzled by his reaction.

"I want to very much." He replied, the look in his eyes telling her the truth of his words. "But there is something that I need to talk to you about."

"Couldn't it wait until after we've …" Marissa stood up and undid the tie around her gown to reveal her nakedness and making it quite obvious what she wanted to be doing.

Ryan took one look and wondered if he was up to this. "Oh God." He turned his head, knowing that if he continued to look at her, he would be powerless to resist. "I need to talk to you … like NOW! We don't have too much time to decide."

Marissa was stunned. But she could see that something was troubling him. It wasn't the reaction that she had been hoping for but if he had a problem … then they would sort it out ... together. Re-tying her robe she sat back down. "Okay … so talk."

Ryan didn't know how to begin. He took a deep breath and said softly "Do you remember I asked you a question on the Ferris wheel yesterday?"

Marissa looked at him and as their eyes connected he knew that she didn't need words to answer. "You mean ….?" She asked.

"Whether you wanted to marry me?" Ryan finished.

Marissa nodded.

"Well. I'm not sure if you'll like the idea or not … but I've sort of gone ahead and organised it." He added quietly, waiting to see what her reaction would be. Looking into her eyes, he tried to read what she was thinking but was unable to, she just looked stunned. He added. "I wanted it to be spontaneous and romantic and … but now I'm not so sure." He hung his head and then continued "I know that it might seem like a bit of a rush and if you don't want to then it's not too late to call it all off ... we don't have to." He offered. "It's just that after seeing the dress and then the wedding … and they looked so happy and then the Ferris wheel and it stopped and … " he knew he was rambling but he just wanted her to understand why he had thought it would be a good idea. "… I couldn't help but think that fate was trying to tell me … us … something." When Marissa still said nothing he hung his head back down and added softly. "Or maybe I was just trying to get what I've always wanted. I guess the simple truth is … I just didn't want to wait anymore. I wanted you to be my wife." He stated and wondered what in the world had ever possessed him to think that she would want to go through with this?

Marissa took a moment to process everything he'd said. She finally whispered "But how? When?"

Ryan looked up. "At the same chapel we were at last night … tonight at 6." He replied. "We have to go to the courthouse on the way to get the license."

"But what about the paparazzi? They will make it all a farce." She said.

"Well. There's a few other things that I haven't explained. "Like the fact that … as far as the rest of the world is concerned … Keith and Annabel are the ones getting married. You and I are just their witnesses."

"What? But how?" Marissa didn't think she could be more stunned … but it seemed that every word that came out of his mouth proved her wrong.

"They have agreed to play their part, as a favour to us … to me." he corrected since Marissa had known nothing about it. "They even spent a good part of the day shopping for a wedding dress for her." Ryan explained.

"So you're telling me that we are getting married today?" Marissa asked still trying to understand it all and wondering if she was dreaming.

"If you want to?" Ryan replied. "I know that we don't have anyone else here. But I thought that we'd still keep it to ourselves until after Seth and Summer were married and then we'll have a ceremony and reaffirm our vows. But if you want to wait for Seth and Summer to be our witnesses then that's okay with me. I'll do whatever you want."

Marissa was still silent as she tried to process it all.

Ryan realised that maybe he had been hasty in trying to push for this. "I'll understand if you don't want to right now. But you had said that you only wanted a small wedding …" he looked at her and gave her his cute half smile. "And you can't get any smaller."

"So the dress was …" she started.

"Uh huh." He replied.

"But what about rings …" Marissa asked.

Ryan pulled the boxes from his pocket. "That's where I've just been." He explained and handed them to her.

She opened the first one which had the matching set of traditional bands in it.

"They're for Keith and Annabel." Ryan explained.

Marissa closed the box and opened the other. She slowly moved her fingers over the intricate design of each one in turn.

"They are Irish Claddaugh rings. They are …" he started to explain and then looked at Marissa only to find tears in her eyes as a single tear drop escaped and moved down her cheek. "Ris don't cry. We don't have to. We can just wait and you can pick out whatever you want." He said as she started to shake her head from side to side.

She gulped, trying to compose herself. "I know what they are." She smiled at him through the blur of her tears. "My grandmother wore one and I always thought it was the most beautiful thing in the world." She looked up at him and held his eyes. "But that was until I saw these." She added and pulled the smaller ring from the box to try on her finger. It was a perfect fit and she lent her head gently on Ryan's shoulder.

"I thought that we could wear them on the pinky fingers of our right hands until we're ready to share it all with the world." He explained.

Marissa nodded and then took a deep sigh. She removed the ring from her finger and then placed it gently back in the box and handed it back to Ryan.

He assumed that she meant that she wanted to wait. That he could keep the rings until she was ready. "I'll just go and tell Keith and Annabel that we've changed our mind." He said.

Marissa grabbed his arm as he went to stand up and move to the door. "You're not going anywhere." Marissa replied softly. "We haven't got much time to get ready and if I'm getting married to you then you'd better be looking sharp." She said … a smile making its way on to her face as she started to realise just what she was saying.

Ryan turned to her the surprise evident in his eyes.

"Go on. Hop to it." She instructed … the smile broadening as she took in the shocked expression on his face.

Ryan stared at her. Now he was the one that was stunned. "Are you sure?"

"What? Sure that I want to marry you?" she asked.

Ryan nodded.

"Oh yeah." She replied simply.

"But what about Summer? Ryan asked. "I thought you'd .."

"Summer is going to have her own wedding. And we'll be there for that. All I need is you." She replied and then looked over at the clock. 'So exactly how much time do I have to get ready?"

"We are meeting Keith and Annabel at 5." Ryan replied.

"Well then you'd better get in that shower. You can tell me the rest of the plans while you are getting ready." She quickly kissed him and then pushed him towards the bathroom. "Actually …" she glanced back at the clock again and then untied her robe and dropped it to the floor. "I think I should join you. Just to make sure that you don't miss any spots." She laughed as he pulled her into his arms.


	109. The PreWedding Jitters

**Pre wedding jitters**

Ryan and Marissa stood at the door of Annabel's room waiting for her to answer it.

"You are absolutely breathtaking." Ryan stated simply, trying to wipe the smile from his face. He thought that if anyone saw him then they would know instantly that something was afoot. They were both dressed to their finest and had a glow around them that wasn't just post-coital. He was sure it could be measured by a light meter. He had never been so excited in his life.

"You scrub up pretty well yourself." Marissa replied removing an imaginary piece of fluff from his collar unable to resist touching him.

"Are we really going to do this?" he asked ... but then went on before giving her a chance to reply, almost as if he didn't want to give her a chance to say no. "I feel like I'm dreaming."

Marissa laughed. As if she didn't love him enough already? But he was absolutely adorable. The normally cool, calm and collected Ryan had been excited ever since she had managed to convince him that she really did want to get married and that she wasn't doing it just for him. And that in itself had been no small task. But his excitement was infectious. And now she was having trouble trying to keep calm. There were butterflies in her stomach that refused to stay quiet. "You bet we are." She replied to his first question. "And as far as dreaming … I'm happy to pinch you just so that you'll know for sure." She said as the door opened to reveal Keith looking dapper in a new suit.

"Looking good." Marissa commented as she walked passed him into the room.

"Thank you." Keith looked at Ryan unsure whether Marissa knew exactly what was planned or whether he still needed to keep everything quiet. When Ryan indicated with a nod and a smile that she was now up to speed he added. "It's not every day a man gets married."

Marissa laughed as Annabel called from the bathroom. "Marissa? Is that you? Can you come and give me a hand with my hair? Keith is useless."

"Sure. I'll be right there." Marissa replied. "So you're useless?" she asked Keith.

"That's not true. I do have my uses. I can even find my way around Victoria's Secret's stores, but pinning up hair is definitely not one of them." He replied.

She laughed and as she went to make her way to the bathroom to see if she could help Annabel, she stopped and came back and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for doing this for us."

"Your welcome." He replied blushing at her actions.

"You have no idea just what it means." She added.

"I think that I have some idea." He replied. "But you'd better go and help her before she starts screaming again. I swear she has forgotten that she is only pretending. No true bride-to-be could be any more demanding." He laughed.

Marissa smiled and turned to go and see if she could be of assistance.

Ryan watched Marissa cross the floor to the bathroom; the love clearly evident in his eyes.

"So?" Keith said smiling as he watched this man who was his boss but also his friend.

"So?" Ryan responded.

"You all set?"

Ryan nodded. "But there's a couple of things I need to talk to you about."

"Like?" Keith asked.

"Number 1. Bill … I have an uneasy feeling that he isn't to be trusted." Ryan stated.

"Okay. So what can we do about it?" Keith asked.

"Well … I thought ..."

---

Marissa walked in to the bathroom and Annabel turned to look at her and said. "Whoa. You look beautiful."

"Thank you." Marissa replied. "You look …" she frantically tried to look for the right word.

"Like a bride?" Annabel asked and then burst out laughing.

"Um … well … yeah." Marissa had to agree. Annabel did indeed look like a doll off the top of a wedding cake.

"That's the general idea." She laughed again. "I figured that if I was going to do it, I may as well do it right."

"Well there's no doubt about it. You definitely look the part." Marissa replied.

"I would if I could just get my hair right." Annabel stated … the frustration evident in her voice.

"Here give me a go." Marissa said as she twirled the hair into a neat French twist and began to pin it in place.

"You're a marvel." Annabel stated as Marissa made it look o-so-easy.

"ANNABEL?" Keith called out.

"Yeah what?" she replied.

"That camera of yours … does it take video as well as stills?" He asked.

"Yeah … why?" she called back as Marissa put in the last of the pins to secure Annabel's hair.

"We need to borrow it." Keith stated.

"Sure. It's just beside the TV. It should be all charged and ready to go."

"Okay. Thanks." Keith called out and picked up the camera and put it in his pocket. He turned to Ryan. "This should do the trick."

The girls emerged from the bathroom and Ryan had to admit that he was surprised by Annabel's obvious bridal attire. There was no doubt who the 'bride' was in their party. She twirled around looking for a comment from Ryan.

"Very … " he hesitated as Marissa had … wondering just what he could say.

"She looks like she should be perched on the top of a wedding cake." Keith stated plainly.

Ryan couldn't agree more but he saw the look of horror on Annabel's face and wanted to calm her down. He knew that the fiery redhead had quite a temper when she was upset. "But a very lovely wedding cake."

Annabel smiled at Ryan and then turned to Keith and poked out her tongue.

Keith burst out laughing. It seemed that the excitement of the situation had them all on edge.

"Are we ready to go?" Marissa asked feeling fidgety. Now that she was this close she couldn't wait.

"Before we go, I just wanted to tell you that we have decided that no one … and that includes Bill … is to know what's really going on. Obviously the guy at the courthouse will, but no one else needs to know. And I think I'd like to keep it that way. I have a strange feeling that Bill would be happy to sell the information to the highest bidder. If I'm wrong then it won't hurt if he doesn't know and if I'm right then it's the only way we have a chance of getting through this without anyone else being any the wiser." Ryan explained.

"But what about his friend at the courthouse? Surely if Bill is on the take, then so would he be." Marissa asked.

"I already know that he is. But we think that we can make sure that he keeps the information to himself." Ryan added. "Just make sure that we don't let anything slip in the car?" Ryan asked and then looked at Marissa and Annabel for their acknowledgement.

When they both nodded, Keith removed the lid from the box that the florist had delivered and handed Ryan a buttonhole and the girls, single long-stemmed deep pink roses, just as Ryan had asked for. He then picked up the last button hole and attached it to his suit. "Do you have the rings?" he asked Ryan.

Ryan patted his pocket and nodded.

"Okay then. Let's go." They all smiled at one another as Keith opened the door and they all filed out.


	110. The Court House

_Okay so this is long but I hope that you enjoy it._

_Thanks for reading_

**The Court House**

Bill pulled in to a lane beside the courthouse and turned to Ryan. "I'll just call my contact. His name is Eric and if you just go and stand beside the fire escape door near the loading dock then he'll come and let you in."

Ryan nodded but as he reached for the door handle Bill added. "You did bring the cash?"

"Yeah. It's here." Ryan replied pulling a hotel envelope out of his jacket pocket.

"Okay. Because you won't get far without it." Bill added.

The four got out of the car and made their way to the door and waited.

Meanwhile Bill called Eric. "They are outside the door now."

"Okay. I'll look after them. He's got the money?"

"Yeah. I checked. Just remember not to go and gamble it all away tonight. I want my cut." Bill stated. He'd been caught before and he didn't want it to happen again.

"Yeah. I know." Eric replied.

"If there are any dramas, let me know."

"Are you expecting something?" Eric asked.

"Not really. I just figured that there is a very faint chance that Atwood and Cooper could decide to do the deed as well. Can you imagine how much that sort of information would be worth? We could retire tomorrow." Bill suggested.

"Are you serious? What would make you think that?" Eric asked.

"Wait until you see her. If I could get her in to my bed then I'd never let her out. She got those long scrawny legs that could hook around you and …" he faded off as his imagination took over. "… if you know what I mean?" Bill replied.

Eric laughed. "From the photos I've seen of him, I doubt that he has to use force to keep a woman in his bed. But I'd better go and let them in before someone notices them standing in the lane and starts asking questions. And don't worry; I'll let you know if anything unexpected goes down."

"Okay. Thanks. Talk soon."

---

The door was opened by a guy in his early thirties who asked them to follow him down a hallway and into a small office. He closed the door and turned and said. "Okay. So I believe you need a marriage license quickly and quietly?"

Keith looked at Ryan who then answered. "Can you help us with that?"

"Sure. For a price, I can do almost anything." Eric replied. "I just need the bride and groom to come and fill out the relevant sections on this form." He pushed it towards Annabel and Keith who didn't move.

Ryan spoke up. "Can you just explain a couple of things for us that we're not too clear on?"

"Sure. As long as it doesn't take too long." Eric replied looking at his watch. He hoped that they weren't going to take too long.

"This marriage license that you issue … is it legal and binding? Or is there something issued at the chapel?"

"No. The certificate that they give you at the chapel is just a rubber stamp. This is the legal document. Once this is all signed, sealed and delivered, you are in fact, legally married. The service in the chapel is purely ceremonial. Just the icing on the cake." Eric said as he ran his eyes over Annabel thinking that she could in fact be perched on top of a cake.

"So if you have the ceremony without a license?" Ryan asked.

"Then you're still not legally married." Eric replied wondering where all these questions were coming from. They really seemed to be pointless. "Now. Can we get this over and done with? I've got other people to attend to. I gather you have the money?"

"Sure." Ryan replied and then looked back at Marissa who was still standing beside the door. "Ris? You set?"

Marissa smiled and then made her way to the desk and sat down and picked up the pen.

Eric looked at Marissa and said. "I don't need the witnesses' signatures just yet."

Ryan replied. "There's been a change of plan. It seems that my friends have cold feet but we didn't want to waste your time so we'll fill in for them."

Eric gulped as he realised what was happening. "But …. are you saying …? … that you …?"

"Surely that's not a problem? I have brought the money you asked for. It was for a marriage license on the quiet. And that's still all we're asking for." Ryan explained. "I have the cash you asked for right here." Ryan added as he pulled out the envelope and handed it to Eric.

Eric took the envelope and held it in his hand for a moment wondering if he could ask for more money given the enormity of what was happening. He looked up at Ryan and when he met with his cold eyes he decided to just put it in the top drawer. He'd make his money when he sold the information.

"I'd prefer you count it and make sure that its right, while I'm still here?" Ryan stated.

Eric looked at him and then pulled the notes from the envelope and counted them. "It's fine." He said and returned the envelope to the drawer.

"I like a man with initiative." Ryan added trying to get Eric to open up more. "You must have quite a nice little business going on here?"

Eric looked up. He knew that Ryan was an astute and very successful businessman. Maybe there was a chance that he would have a position for him with his company. "You have no idea. I make 10 times as much out of this sideline as I do out of the actual job. The pay here is atrocious. I can lose more on the tables in one night than I make here in a month." Eric stated.

"Great. Then we'll just fill out the paperwork." Ryan stated as he and Marissa sat and went through the form in front of them.

When they were finished, they handed the form to Eric and waited while he completed the official parts and then entered the information into the computer and then stamped the form and handed them a copy. "That's it."

"We're done?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah. You are now legally married." Eric stated.

Ryan looked at Marissa, scared that she may have been upset and regretted the way that it had all taken place but she was smiling from ear to ear.

"We've done it." She said breathlessly. A smile edging its way onto her face.

Ryan nodded. Suddenly he was speechless as the impact of what had happened finally hit home.

He pulled the ring box from his pocket and opened it. Taking the smaller of the two rings from the box he slid it on to Marissa's finger as she beamed at him. She took the other ring and slid it onto Ryan's finger. They held one another's hands as they silently committed themselves to one another.

Keith broke the silence by saying. "I think that you can now kiss the bride."

Ryan smiled at Keith but needed no further encouragement as he took Marissa in his arms and met her lips with his own, the kiss achingly sweet. When they had finished they stood up from the small desk and thanked Eric and moved to the door.

"Thanks for your help. We'll see ourselves out." Ryan stated as they all left the room.

Eric instantly picked up his phone and dialled Bill's number. He couldn't believe his luck. His mind boggled at just how much money they could make out of this information and wondered how would be the best way to make sure that he maximised his take.

---

As Eric waited for Bill to answer, Ryan and Keith appeared back in the doorway.

Eric quickly hung up. "Couldn't you find you way back out?" he asked.

Ryan and Keith came back into the room and closed the door. "No. That's not a problem." Ryan stated. "I just thought that I should make something clear to you before we left."

Eric looked puzzled but waited.

"I thought that I should tell you that, thanks to my friend here, we have the whole of out marriage on film, including some very nice shots of you accepting the payment from me; a very happy keepsake for us no doubt. Plus we have the whole of our conversation recorded as well just for insurance." Ryan paused as he let the information sink in. "If any knowledge of the marriage gets leaked to the press, then I will more than happy to hand a copy of both over to your employers. So I think that it would be best for you to keep the information to yourself." Ryan stated. "You may be tempted to share the news with… say … Bill. But I don't think that's a very good idea."

Eric stood silently saying nothing, trying to work out the implications of what was happening.

"You see … I figure that the worst that could happen to him would be that he would lose his job. But I don't think that he would care because he would no doubt be able to sell the information for a sizeable amount of money. So losing his job would not be too big a problem. You however … I can guarantee … would be in jail for graft and corruption. I'm not an expert … but I figure that you'd be looking at around 10 years." Ryan suggested.

"All I did was issue you with a marriage license." Eric stated clearly. "That's my job."

"True. But you see …the legal definition of graft is the unscrupulous use of one's position to derive profit or advantages. In other words you are in deep shit." Ryan explained. "Plus of course by the time you actually get out of jail, the chances that Bill won't have spent all the money are extremely remote." Ryan shook his head. "I don't think that it's worth the risk."

Keith just smiled and held Annabel's camera and Ryan's digital voice recorder clearly in his hands. "The wonders of technology." He stated.

Eric looked from Ryan to Keith and then back again unsure of what to do. He knew that they were right. If he gave this information to Bill then he would certainly sell it to the highest bidder. And where would that leave him.

"But just because I'm a nice guy, I have a proposition for you." Ryan suggested.

Eric was all ears. "What?"

"If you can make sure that all knowledge of what happened here remains a secret until I'm ready to announce it, then I'll personally come and pay you 4 times what I just gave you … as a private thank you from me to you." Ryan said.

Eric couldn't believe what Ryan was saying. He wouldn't even have to split that money with Bill. "But it will become a matter of public record after 12 months. There is nothing I can do to stop that." Eric explained.

"That's fine." Ryan replied. "As long as you don't divulge the information for 12 months then I will accept that you have kept your end of the bargain. I suspect that we will choose to reveal it before then anyhow."

Eric knew that he had no other choice. He could tell from the look in Ryan's eye that he may have been a successful businessman but he wasn't a man to be crossed. He gave a shudder. There was something about Ryan's eyes. When he had first come into the room, Eric had thought him to be just another businessman on holiday but looking at him now, his eyes were cold as ice. He didn't think that he would like to run into him in a dark alley, especially if you had crossed him. He gulped as he contemplated the outcome of such a meeting. And his body guard would no doubt finish off the leftovers. "Sure. I can do that."

Just then Eric's phone rang. He glanced at the screen and was about to hit the end button when Ryan stated clearly. "Answer it."

Eric looked at Ryan and then decided to do as he was told. He didn't want to cross him. "Yeah?"

"Did you just call me?" Bill asked.

"Um … yeah." Eric replied and held Ryan's gaze.

"What did you want?" Bill asked. "Is there some sort of problem?"

Eric stared back at Ryan. "No. No problem."

"Well what then?" Bill asked.

"Um … I just thought I should let you know that they are all finished. They'll be back with you soon." Eric stated.

"Okay. So it all went according to plan? Just the one license?" Bill asked.

Eric gulped. "Yeah … Just the one license." He replied honestly.

"Okay. I'll see you later to get my cut." Bill said and ended the call.

Eric closed up the phone.

"Good." Ryan stated. "It's been a … pleasure … to do business with you. Just remember. You have two choices. You can sit on what you know and I'll see you in 12 months time with a hefty bonus OR you can spend the next few years in jail wondering what Bill is doing with your money and whether there will be any of it left by the time you get out. It's up to you."

Eric knew that he really didn't have a choice at all. "I'll see you in 12 months."

"I'll look forward to it. We might come back for our 1st anniversary." Ryan replied as he turned and he and Keith left the room.

The girls were standing just outside the door.

"How did it go?" Annabel asked.

"Great. The guy never had a chance. I almost feel sorry for him." Keith replied.

Marissa looked at Ryan. She knew that there were a lot of good reasons for keeping it all a secret. But right at the present time she didn't really care. All she cared about was that she and Ryan were husband and wife. She looked at him coyly as they all made their way back to the fire exit door. Just before they got there, they passed a small kitchen off to the left and Ryan pulled Marissa inside. "Tell Bill we've gone to the bathroom. We'll be with you in a minute." Ryan said to Keith and Annabel.

Keith nodded as he and Annabel moved on. He knew that Ryan and Marissa wanted some time alone together.

Ryan closed the door and took Marissa in his arms and looked deeply in her eyes. "I'm sorry if it wasn't quite the small chapel wedding that you wanted."

"Are you kidding? Can you imagine just how much better this will be to tell our kids? They'll never be able to say that we were staid and boring. It's not everyone has a little extortion to remember their wedding day by." Marissa laughed. She played with the ring on her finger. "You know you might have to pay me off to keep it quiet. Right now I feel like shouting it from the rooftops."

"You can have all my money. Will that be enough?" Ryan asked.

"I hate to tell you but it's not your money I'm after …it's your body." Marissa leered suggestively at him.

Ryan laughed. "You can have that too." Ryan stated and he bent his head to kiss her. Starting slowly, the kiss deepened as the mirth went from their words and their true feelings took over.

Ryan pulled back. "I think we'd better stop while we still can. We have a wedding to go to." He said.

"Well we'd better not keep the bride and groom waiting, Mr Atwood." Marissa replied.

"We'd better not, Mrs …..Atwood?... Cooper?... Cooper Atwood? What do you want to be called?" Ryan asked.

Marissa tilted her head to one side and frowned slightly as she pondered the question. "I guess for now I don't really have a choice. I'd better stick to Cooper or I'll give the whole thing away."

Ryan nodded understanding exactly what she was saying..

"But when we have children, I want to be Marissa Atwood." She added a small smile making its way across her face as she contemplated the thought of a family of their own.

"I can't wait." Ryan replied.


	111. The conference dinner

_I'm so happy that you enjoyed their somewhat unorthodox wedding. But it isn't quite over yet!_

****

**The conference dinner**

Bill deposited them at the small chapel and waited until they were safely inside before he got out of the car and crossed the street to talk to the driver of the black sedan parked across the road.

"So how did it go?"

"Just the bodyguard and the PA as expected. But since you're here are you going to get a couple of shots anyhow?" Bill asked.

"I may as well. But you'd better not be seen talking to me or you won't be popular."

"Okay. Just don't forget who gave you the tip off when you sell the shots." Bill said.

"IF I sell them? Unfortunately, there's going to be a heap of shots of the two of them together from the dinner tonight. With so many available, it's going to bring down the price. But I'll see what I can do."

---

The wedding inside the chapel went off without a hitch. Keith and Annabel went through the motions like true troopers and Ryan and Marissa knew that no one that worked at the chapel would be any the wiser. Ryan had noticed a guy with a camera enter about half way through the short ceremony and he figured that he was probably a friend of Bill's but he knew that as far as anyone was concerned nothing unexpected was happening. Unfortunately, they were going to have to maintain the pretence for a while yet until they would be clean and clear.

After the ceremony Keith and Annabel posed for photos outside the chapel and Keith even managed to sneak in a couple of Ryan and Marissa at the end that he knew they would want to keep for posterity. They all piled back into the car and Bill returned them to the Bellagio. Marissa and Ryan wanted some time alone but they knew that wasn't really an option just yet. If they were going to get away with keeping what had just happened, a secret …then they were going to have to continue on with their day as expected. Bill escorted the four of them to one of the cocktail lounges in the hotel and they toasted the happy couple with French champagne until it was time for Ryan and Marissa to leave to attend the conference dinner. Unfortunately Bill had joined them so they had all had to keep the pretence going.

When Bill finally excused himself and left, Ryan and Marissa were also about to leave but Ryan turned and thanked Keith and Annabel for all their help. "Thanks you two. I owe you big time." He said.

"Don't worry about it. We had fun." Keith stated.

"Yeah. I guarantee this is one weekend I won't forget in a hurry." Annabel replied.

"Well thanks, anyhow. Are you sure you don't want to come to the conference dinner with us?" Ryan asked.

"What on our wedding night?" Annabel asked rhetorically. "Not likely. I think I'll just get my husband to escort me to my room." She added.

Keith just rolled his eyes indulgently at her and then said to Ryan and Marissa. "You'd better get going. Since you are the guests of honour, you wouldn't want to arrive late."

"I feel a bit guilty about deserting you after everything that you've done for us today." Ryan said reaching for his wallet to extract some money. "Why don't you two go out on the town … my treat."

Keith looked at Annabel and then back at Ryan and refused the money. "Thanks but no thanks. We can look after ourselves. I'm sure that we are going to have a better time than you are. We don't have to sit through a boring speech" he teased.

"How would you know that my speeches are boring? You've never even heard one." Ryan exclaimed pretending to be offended.

"And I'm more than happy to stay that way." Keith responded.

"Remind me again why I hired you?" Ryan teased.

"It wasn't for my looks, so it must have been for my irresistible charm." Keith suggested.

"That's true. Just ask Emily." Marissa suggested.

Ryan and Keith both laughed.

"Yeah. Pity it only works on four year olds." Keith replied.

"I think you're charming." Annabel said giving him a pert smile. "I wouldn't have married you otherwise. But you need to get me to my room right now because this dress is cutting in to me. If you don't, I'm likely to start stripping it off right here and I think that would attract attention even in Vegas." she said as she started to pull him towards the lifts.

"Okay okay." Keith replied. "We'll see you two in the morning. And congrats and good luck." He commented as they faded from view.

Ryan and Marissa looked at one another.

"They seem to be getting on rather well together." Marissa stated.

"You noticed too?" Ryan said.

"Yeah. I wonder what Skip would make of it all?" Marissa asked.

"I'm sure that Annabel is just trying to keep herself amused while Skip is away." Ryan replied.

"Yeah maybe." Marissa replied. "But come on, let's get to this dinner. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave."

"In a hurry to go somewhere?" Ryan asked a smile on his face.

"You betcha." Marissa replied.

---

Ryan and Marissa arrived at the Function Rooms to be greeted by the national president and his wife, Warren and Rita Simpson. They fawned over them, introducing them around and then escorted them to their table where they were sitting with other members of the executive committee.

Fortunately, dinner passed quickly with Ryan and Marissa managing to get by with just a few touches here and there. They were both anxious for the night to end, so that they could be alone together to celebrate. But they knew that Ryan needed to complete his obligations here or people would know that something was amiss. After dinner, Ryan was called upon to speak. Marissa sat and watched as he took the podium and marvelled at this man that was now her husband. She felt like she should pinch herself. Her life was like a dream.

Ryan spoke about the work that he had been doing in the lower income areas and the differences that his company had managed to achieve in only a short space of time. The obvious improvements, like the standard of housing and the reduced unemployment levels but more importantly the intangibles … like the hope that the teenagers now had …. that their lives would be better than those of their parents and the spin offs in the reduction of petty crimes in the areas as the residents took more pride in themselves and what they had. He outlined the assistance that he had been able to obtain through government channels and urged the other architects there, to consider similar schemes or adding their expertise when ever they had some free time and assured them that the rewards they would obtain, while not monetary, would be more significant than any others they were ever likely to get. Marissa noticed that the more Ryan talked, the more the audience liked and admired him. It was hard not to. Even for her.

But she saw more. She saw the strength that had developed in him. It was hard to believe that with his background, growing up with his family and what life in general was like in Chino, that this man could emerge that cared so deeply for the people around him. There was no cynicism or self-pity for what he had been through, just a quiet strength that he was prepared to share with all those that he touched. His gorgeous looks, those eyes to die for, that body that just made her melt whenever he touched her … she loved it all but it was his hidden gentleness that made her heart swell with love and pride until she felt that it would explode in her chest.

When Ryan finished, to a standing ovation, he looked across at Marissa and smiled. She felt the warmth of it reach all the way to her core, as he tried to move through the crowd of people who had gathered to talk to him. He was trying to get back to her. She watched as he politely fended off questions, all the time moving slowly closer and closer to her. He was moving at a snail's pace as it seemed that everyone wanted to speak with him. But she knew that he wouldn't want to brush them off. They may have been able to volunteer some assistance to his charity work and she knew that he would never say no to that. Eventually the music from the band started up and people started to make their way on to the dance floor but Ryan seemed to have gotten stuck with Warren Simpson and some others and she could see Ryan sending silent messages to her with his eyes.

Marissa walked over to the group and excused herself. "I'm sorry to interrupt gentlemen, but I was wondering if you would allow me to steal Ryan away for a dance?" she asked.

The architects all parted like the Red Sea around Ryan's absolutely breathtaking companion and nodded their agreement. Ryan took Marissa's hand and led her on to the dance floor as he overheard the comment behind him. "I would have been happy to dance with her." Only for someone to reply. "Wouldn't we all."

Ryan took Marissa into his arms and started to move around the dance floor. "Thanks for saving me." he said.

"I think I was saving me. I don't think I could have lasted much longer without touching you." Marissa replied.

Ryan smiled. "The feelings mutual." He replied and pulled her in closer to him moving his hips to grind in to her.

Marissa held him close matching his movements with ones of her own and then asked "Is that a gun in your pants or are you just happy to see me?"

Ryan laughed. "I'm very happy to see you. And I can assure you that what's in my pants could very well go off if you continue to do what you're doing."

"Well then maybe we should get out of here. I'd hate to cause a scene." Marissa suggested.

"Stay right where you are." Ryan replied. "If you move away from me right now, then we are guaranteed to cause a scene. I need to try and think of something besides you and what I want to do to you … otherwise we are going to have to stay fused at the hip. Maybe I could think of wrinkled old grannies." Ryan suggested.

"Or Luke's hairy back." Marissa added.

Ryan burst out laughing. "Where did that come from?"

Marissa shrugged. "Did it do the trick?" she asked.

Ryan hesitated. "Surprisingly yes."

Marissa looked at him hopefully. "So can we say our good byes and head off to bed yet? I am getting sleepy."

"I'm happy to take you off to bed but I can't guarantee sleep for quite a while." Ryan replied.


	112. The Wedding Supper

**The Wedding Supper**

Ryan and Marissa said their good byes and slowly moved towards the door. Their escape route to the lifts was unfortunately blocked by several people still wanting to talk with Ryan and have their photo taken with him. Plus many of the men were very keen to be photographed with Marissa, much to their wives amusement since it was obvious that she had eyes for no one but Ryan.

It was slow going but they finally emerged from the room and hastily made their way to the lift lobby.

"I swear, if this thing doesn't hurry up, we're taking the stairs." Ryan exclaimed as he watched the slow movement of the lights indicating the movement of the lifts between the floors. "I don't think that I can smile for the camera anymore or my face will crack."

"And here I was thinking that you were enjoying your time amongst your fans." Marissa teased. "Maybe you'll appreciate that standing and being photographed is actually hard work. I do it for hours on end." Marissa added.

"You're right. I'd rather be labouring on a job site for 8 hours than enduring that again." Ryan replied. He noticed that a lift was about to arrive and gripped Marissa's hand to move and stand in front of the arriving lift. "Now if any one is listening to my prayers then this lift will be empty." Ryan said and then smiled at Marissa lasciviously.

"Why Mr Atwood. Exactly what do you have in mind?" Marissa asked only to have the doors open to reveal an elderly couple inside.

Ryan grimaced and Marissa had to clamp her mouth shut before she laughed out loud as they moved in to the lift. Ryan was hoping that the couple would be getting out well before them, preferably on the next floor but unfortunately the only button pushed was for their own floor. He looked at Marissa who was barely managing to contain her laughter and he started to stroke the palm of her hand with his index finger, leaving her in do doubt as to what he had on his mind.

Marissa's mirth was instantly replaced by a feeling of need for him that was coming from deep within her as she thought about what was to come. How could such a small action from him cause such an intense reaction within her own body? There was an ache starting to build within her that had nothing to do with conscious thought. It seemed as if the messages completely bypassed her brain. She was sure that she couldn't have stopped the feeling even if she had wanted too. … which of course she didn't. The simple fact was that she was in just as big a hurry to be alone with him, as he was with her.

When they arrived at their floor, they let the elderly couple precede them out of the lift doors and then Ryan turned to her and said. "I hope you have your room key with you because I don't have mine."

Marissa was puzzled. It wasn't like Ryan to forget something like that and she thought that she should take the opportunity to tease him about it. "Did you have something else on your mind when we left earlier?"

Ryan smiled. "Perhaps." He replied enigmatically.

Marissa wasn't going to let him get away with it so easily. "I guess if you had to forget something then it was better that it was your key and not the rings." She added as she pulled her card key from her small bag and went to hand it to Ryan.

Ryan shook his head and looked up and down the hallway to make sure that they were now alone. "Why don't you open it." He suggested.

Marissa was bemused. He was acting strangely. But she did as she was told and slipped the card in the lock and as she went to open the door, Ryan swept her off her feet and in to his arms. "Ryan! What are you doing?"

"I'm carrying you over the threshold." He explained as he turned to push the door open with his back and then proceed into the room with Marisa held firmly in his arms.

Marissa was not about to complain. She loved being in Ryan's arms and linked her arms around his shoulders and was about to nuzzle into his neck when she all of a sudden stopped as she became aware of her surroundings. The room had been totally transformed. It was full of dozens and dozens of candles; the bed and parts of the floor covered in rose petals, soft music emanating around them and a champagne and caviar supper was laid out before them. "But what?... How?" Marissa tried to get out.

Ryan gently put her down. He pulled off his suit jacket and threw it over a chair and then moved to open the champagne. "I thought we should have our own celebration." He explained.

"But how?" Marissa tried again to get a coherent sentence out as she looked around the room noticing the vases full of her favourite deep pink roses. It was beautiful; the scene from every girl's dreams, or at least certainly her dreams.

Ryan smiled. "So you like it?" he asked softly and Marissa could sense his insecurity. She couldn't believe just how much trouble he had gone to, to make the day so special for her.

"Like it? I …Ryan … it's … it's … " Marissa started to tear up. She could feel her emotions about to bubble over and she moved to hold him, just wanting to be in his arms.

"Hey. It was supposed to make you happy." He said as he pulled her in to him.

"I am happy. Deliriously. But how did you do this? Surely housekeeping didn't … " Marissa asked.

Ryan shook his head. "No. I didn't think that would be a good idea if we are trying to keep this all a secret. Plus I suspect there are some fire regulations that we are probably breaking. I got everything earlier today and left it in Keith's room and then gave him my key so that he could come and set it all up. Mind you, I think he deserves a bonus he's done such a good job." Ryan said looking around the room.

"So that's why you didn't have your key?"

"Uh huh. I have to admit I was a little concerned that you mightn't have had yours and then I would have had to make a mad dash to reception to get another."

"Well I'm glad that I have at least managed to contribute something to the day."

"I'm expecting a whole lot more from you yet." Ryan said suggestively as he picked up a champagne flute, filled it and then handed it to her.

Marissa looked at it as he filled his own and she couldn't help but watch the crystal clear bubbles as they moved up through the liquid to pop on the surface. She felt her emotions were doing something similar.

"To us?" Ryan asked.

"To us." Marissa replied simply and sipped the crisp liquid.

"Would you like to dance?" Ryan asked almost shyly.

Marissa gazed into his eyes and then nodded. She placed her glass on the table beside his and she moved in to his arms. It was a feeling of coming home and she new that she would never tire of it. To be in his arms was the best feeling in the world.

They moved slowly around the room. It was barely a dance; more a fusion of two people who had become one. This was not about lust but about love in the truest sense of the word. As the song finished Marissa moved to take Ryan's tie off. She wanted to nuzzle into his neck and it was impeding her. Ryan didn't complain and it soon joined his jacket thrown over the chair. Marissa undid a few of the buttons on his shirt and then returned her head to its previous position so that she could nibble on the sensitive places at the base of his neck.

Ryan returned the favour and was moving out along her shoulder, leaving a trail of kisses behind as he tasted her and when he got to the strap of her dress he changed direction to follow the outline of the dress down in to the plunging dip between her breasts. Marissa's breath shortened as her body waited with anticipation for what he was going to do next. Ryan followed the outline of her dress again and came back up to the other shoulder but this time when he got to the strap of her dress he pulled back and gazed in to her eyes looking for her consent to go further as he placed his hands on the offending straps. They were the only things that were holding her dress in place and keeping her beautiful body from his view.

Marissa smiled. "You don't like my dress on me?"

Ryan returned with a grin. "I love your dress. It's amazing and you look amazing in it. But right now, I think it would look better on the floor." He replied gently a small smile on his face.

Marissa slowly crossed her arms in front of her as she pushed the straps off her shoulders and then shimmied out of the dress as it fell in a cascade of silk to the ground and she stepped out of it. She stood before him in nothing more than a small flesh coloured g-string and her high heels; her arms still crossed in front of her and covering her breasts.

Ryan could feel his body responding to the sight in front of him. He felt like he was in a dream. Could this beautiful vision in front of him really be his wife? How did a guy from Chino ever get so lucky? He waited for her to make a move. He didn't want to break the spell that she had over him.

Marissa watched the changing emotions as they played across Ryan's face; her husband. She stepped towards him and moved her hands to take off his shirt. She wanted to feel his skin against her own. Feel his chest as it moved over her breasts. She pulled the shirt from his shoulders forgetting that she hadn't completely unbuttoned it earlier. But by now she was in desperate need to see him and feel him and so she continued to pull at the shirt until it ripped and gave way. The offending buttons popping off as Ryan smiled at her haste. Marissa moved to rub her now almost painfully erect nipples over him, hoping that the feel of his skin against hers would in some way assuage her need.

Ryan held her to him and kissed her deeply. Their tongues danced as they tasted the sweetness of one another. The kiss increased in intensity as Ryan's hands moved across her back and he hooked his thumb inside the waistband of her g string and pulled it to the floor. Marissa pushed off her shoes and then undid Ryan's belt. She was fumbling with the button on his pants; a sense of urgency to every move she made seemingly making her fingers all thumbs. Ryan could sense her haste and decided to help. After what had happened to his shirt he didn't want to imagine what she would do if she couldn't get his pants off. Once the button was undone Marissa made short work of pulling down the zipper and then his pants and boxers joined her dress on the floor.

Ryan quickly pushed off his shoes and rid himself of his socks and then joined Marissa who had lain down across the bed and was picking up handfuls of rose petals and sprinkling them over her naked body. He watched as she covered her nipples and her mound and then he gently blew his warm breathe across her as the petals scattered back on to the bed leaving her naked again. The feel of the delicate petals on her followed by the heat of Ryan's breath only served to excite Marissa even further. She parted her legs and pulled Ryan on top of her, guiding him into her as she wrapped her legs around him never wanting to let him go. This was what she wanted. He was all she'd ever wanted.


	113. The Keepsake

**The Keepsake**

Some time later Ryan stirred in his sleep as something felt amiss. He reached for Marissa but his hand came up empty. He squinted as he opened his eyes to look for her and realised that there was a glow in the room coming from the small lamp on the desk. He noticed Marissa was sitting at the desk writing on something. He turned a little further so that he could see her properly as his eyes became accustomed to the light. She was still naked and the silhouette she was casting from the lamp behind her was simply perfect … in every way. His eyes ran over her profile; from her pert nose, her full lips, her chin … to the tilt of her breasts, over her flat stomach and on to her beautiful long legs. She quite literally took his breath away.

He watched her silently as she continued to write, obviously intent on what she was doing. He thought that she was just writing herself a note and would then return to bed but when, after several minutes, she was still writing industriously he decided to find out just what she was doing so he moved from the bed to stand behind her.

Marissa turned as she sensed his nearness, smiling at him as he joined her. "I'm sorry if I woke you."

Ryan bent to kiss her. "That's okay. But I can't help wondering what you are doing?" he asked.

"I'm writing it all down." She replied simply, showing him the pages of hotel stationery that were already full of her handwriting.

"Writing what down?" Ryan asked confused.

"Today…" Marissa said and then looked over at the clock beside the bed. "Well yesterday really. My wedding day." She explained.

"We will do it better, next time." Ryan started to apologise, thinking she was making notes of what she would change the next time around. "You can have Summer …"

Marissa placed her finger on his mouth to stop him speaking. "There is no better. It was perfect. I was lying there smelling the roses and thinking back over it. Of everything you did for me. The visit to the spa, the dress, the shoes, the rings, your speech at the dinner, our supper … you ... I could never have imagined that's what my wedding day would be like, but I know that it was perfect. You knew what I wanted without me even knowing it myself. You are more in tune with me than I am myself. And I guess that should be scary but it isn't. I just feel like I'm the luckiest woman on earth. And I wanted to write it all down. I don't want to forget one moment of the day. I want to be able to tell our children about it. About how wonderful their father is."

"I hope you'll make it G rated if you are going to show it to them." Ryan suggested feeling a mixture of pride and embarrassment about what she was saying.

Marissa laughed. "I want it all. But I just might put the last part on a separate sheet of paper that is just for me to read."

"I don't suppose I could convince you to join me back in bed. Perhaps we could add a bit to that last page; the page for your eyes only." Ryan suggested as he started to run his hands over her back.

Marissa leaned back into him. "I think that there is still room for me to add some more."

Ryan took her hand and led her back to the bed. "Let's make some more memories."

---

Ryan and Marissa were lying entwined the next morning when they were disturbed by Ryan's cell phone ringing. Ryan reached for it and flipped it open.

"Yeah?" was all he could get out.

"Ryan? Sorry to wake you mate."

"Skip? What the hell are you doing calling at this time in the morning?" Ryan asked still half asleep when all of a sudden he realised just who he was talking to. He sat bolt upright in bed. "Is everything all right?" Ryan asked, instantly concerned.

"Yeah." Skip replied automatically and then added. "Well … I guess that depends on how you look at it. But we're sort of through the worst of it. I think. My Dad did have a serious heart attack and he needs to have a triple heart bypass which at the moment they have scheduled for next week. At the moment they have stabilised him and they're just trying to let him get a bit of strength back before they do the operation."

"Okay. So that's good? Right?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah. As good as it can be given that he's lying in Intensive Care." Skip explained.

"Okay. Well give him our best. How's your mother coping?" Ryan asked as Marissa sat up beside him as she'd realised who he was talking to. She moved to put her arm around his shoulders wanting to somehow portray that she was just as interested in what was happening with Skip's mother as Ryan was, but as she moved to put her arms around him the sheet fell to her waist exposing her breasts to him.

Ryan glanced at her and smiled … and as she went to pull the sheet back up to cover herself, he purposely pulled it out of her hands so that he could take in the sight of her in hall her glory. Marissa went suddenly shy.

"Mum's …. coping, I guess would be the word. But I'm glad that I'm here for her. But I guess that's part of why I'm calling. I've decided to stay until after Dad's operation next week and I've been trying to get in touch with Annabel, but it seems that her phone is off. I know that it's Sunday morning over there but it's after midnight here and I've just gotten home from the hospital and I'm on my way to bed. You see I can't have my phone on in Intensive Care; I gather they upset some of the electronic equipment or something. So this is really the only time of day that I can call her. I was just wondering if there is any way you could get in touch with her and ask her to call my cell. Tell her I'll wait up until I hear from her."

"Sure. I'll give her a call in her room now and get her to ring you." Ryan replied.

"Thanks. And I'm sorry for waking you. How are things going anyhow?" Skip asked.

"Good." Ryan said looking at Marissa.

"Marissa hasn't realised yet that she'd be better off with me?" Skip teased.

Ryan played with the ring on his finger. It still felt odd …. but in a good way. "You know that's never going to happen." Ryan assured him.

"Yeah well. A guy can wish." Skip laughed.

"As long as that's all you do." Ryan replied wishing that he could tell his friend just what had taken place yesterday. He knew that Skip would be very happy for them.

"You can thank me later for waking you. I'm sure you'll think of something ... or should I say someone … to do … now that you're awake. It would have been a missed opportunity if you'd slept in." Skip suggested.

"I don't miss many opportunities." Ryan assured him pulling Marissa in to his side with his free arm.

"Okay. Well I'd better get off this phone and let you contact Annabel otherwise I'll never get to bed."

"Uh huh. I'll call her straight away. And keep in touch. You know that we're thinking of you."

"Yeah. Thanks mate. I appreciate it."


	114. Ryan's Surprise

**Ryan's Surprise**

Ryan explained Skip's call to Marissa and then picked up the hotel phone and called Annabel's room. He placed the phone back in its holder and turned to Marissa. "The line's busy. She may just be calling room service or something. I'll give it a couple of minutes and try again." he said. "Maybe you could keep me amused in the meantime?" he suggested as he rolled over and blanketed her with his body.

"I'd be more than happy too." Marissa replied. "Although … what I had planned, I would hope, would make you totally forget about making phone calls altogether … and then poor Skip would be left sitting awake in Australia waiting for a call that would never … come … while you were …" Marissa grinned from ear to ear suggestively.

Ryan returned the look. "Coming?" Ryan asked hopefully. "What exactly would I be doing? What did you have in mind? I think I like it what ever it is." He added not giving Marissa a chance to answer.

"You know you sound like Seth." Marissa said laughing at him.

"What a horrible thing to say. We haven't been married for 24 hours and already you are abusing me."

"Well it's a bit of a concern to me too. Promise me you will never turn into Seth? Summer may find him endearing but he doesn't do it for me."

"What does do it for you?"

"Don't you mean who?"

"No. As of yesterday, I know who. You said yes. And that means that I have sole rights. Of course it is a two way street. This … " Ryan indicated his body. " … is all yours. Forever."

Marissa laughed and started to run her hands over him. "And I intend making the most of it. But you'd better make that phone call because I'm not going to be responsible for my actions for too much longer if you keep moving like that. And then you'd have to explain to Skip why Annabel didn't get his message."

"Okay." Ryan said and picked up the phone to try again. Replacing it he turned to Marissa.

"It's still busy and much as it hurts me to say this, I guess I'd better go down to her room and pass on the message. Maybe she took the phone off the hook so she could sleep in or maybe she has accidentally knocked it or something." He got out of bed and pulled on some jeans and a t shirt and quickly pulled on some shoes.

"Don't be long." Marissa said.

Ryan smiled. "I can't guarantee that a part of me won't be long by the time I get back if I keep thinking about you in my bed."

Marissa laughed. "I might put my rose petal bikini back on." she suggested.

"Okay. But nothing more." Ryan said as he picked up the room key and hastily made his way out the door. He couldn't wait to return.

---

Ryan got to Annabel's room and knocked. All he could think about was getting back to Marissa as quickly as possible. He knew he was impatient but he couldn't help himself so he knocked again.

The door opened to reveal Keith still fastening the tie belt on one of the hotel gowns.

Ryan pulled back and looked at the number on the door again wondering if he had accidentally gotten the rooms mixed up. What was Keith doing here?

"Good morning." Keith said chirpily. "I wasn't expecting to see you up this early. I thought you were room service with breakfast. You're not getting a tip unless you have food with you." He joked while standing to one side to allow Ryan to enter.

"Um." Ryan didn't move but he looked around unsure of exactly what this all meant. Had they swapped rooms or something? He thought that he had a pretty good idea of what it meant, but he was trying to deny it to himself, trying to think of some other logical explanation other than the obvious.

Keith stood waiting for Ryan to explain his visit. Just then some people walked by on their way to the lifts. "You'd better come in. I don't want to stand here with the door open while I'm dressed like this."

Ryan moved inside the door and still stood not saying anything … just looking around taking everything in.

Keith by now was puzzled. "Ryan what is it? Is something wrong?" he asked. He thought it odd that Ryan would even be here at this time of the morning. He had imagined that he and Marissa would have been enjoying the first morning of their honeymoon for several hours yet.

Ryan shook his head. "Um… No. … I …I …I have a message for Annabel."

"She'll be out in a minute. She was having a shower but I told her that breakfast was here when I heard you knock and she's starving … so she won't be long."

"Uh huh." Ryan replied.

"Did Marissa like her surprise last night?" Keith asked.

Ryan was forced to reply even though his mind was still trying to come to terms with what was obviously going on here. "Yeah. Thanks. It was great. I owe you."

"No problems. I hope you don't mind. We made use of a few of the leftovers." Keith said as he indicated a few candles scattered around the room.

"Ah. No. That's fine." Ryan replied. "So, you … and Annabel?" he asked.

"Yeah." Keith smiled. "That's not a problem is it? I mean you don't have some rule that prohibits employees getting together?"

"No. It's just … " Ryan started. "I mean, I knew that you were getting on, I just didn't know that you were …" he shrugged.

"Getting IT on." Keith finished smiling.

"Yeah. I guess you could put it like that."

"Well …" Keith tried to explain. "After you hatched your plan on Friday night, Annabel suggested that we have dinner together to get to know one another a little better and well …one thing led to another and " he shrugged "what can I say? Things just sort of happened…. she's quite something."

"I guess she is." Ryan had to agree.

Keith could see that Ryan was uncomfortable so he tried to hurry Annabel along. "Annabel. Are you done in there yet?" he asked and then turned to Ryan. "It's not a problem is it? I thought you'd be happy for us? You did sort of set us up?"

Ryan didn't know quite what to say. Was he really responsible for this?

Annabel walked out of the bathroom drying her hair with a towel. She had a hotel gown on but it was completely open; her hands too busy with the towel and her wet hair to bother with the tie belt. She looked up and was obviously surprised to see Ryan standing there but she didn't react at all. She obviously wasn't at all concerned about her nakedness.

Keith noticed Ryan's expression and turned to look at her as she walked towards them. She continued to dry her hair as Keith quickly moved in front of her to fasten the belt. "Annabel!" he said obviously disapproving of her actions.

"What? You don't think he's seen a naked woman before? I wouldn't mind betting there's one in his bed as we speak." She replied.

"That may be so. But he hasn't seen you naked before." Keith stated.

"He could have if he'd wanted to." Annabel teased. "He only had to ask."

Ryan now was getting angry at her suggestive comments. Not only were they in poor taste but they were obviously making Keith uncomfortable as well. Maybe he had totally misjudged her all along. It wasn't as if he hadn't been warned by the women around him just what she was like. Summer, Marissa, even Kirsten had warned him but he had always dismissed their claims.

"But if you change you mind, I'd be happy to show you what a real woman looks like? I'm sure it would make a change from a scrawny coat hanger." She added.

"Annabel!" Keith said. "What's gotten in to you?"

"Most recently … you." She answered sweetly.

"I think you should apologise." Keith stated.

"Don't bother." Ryan stated. "I only came here to deliver a message from your boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Keith asked. He looked at Annabel waiting for her to deny it.

She shrugged.

"It seems that your phone is turned off. So Skip called me and asked me to get you to ring him now … before he goes to bed."

"Skip? You're Skip's girlfriend?" Keith asked … complete bewilderment written across his face.

Annabel shrugged again. "We've been seeing a bit of one another."

"Quite a bit from what Skip told me when we went out on the town together in San Francisco." He commented. "We actually got propositioned that night by two very lovely ladies but he wasn't interested. Said he had someone waiting for him in LA. How wrong could he be?" Keith asked and then added "What sort of person are you?"

"I'm the sort that doesn't like to sleep alone." She replied indignantly. "And don't pretend you didn't enjoy it. You certainly didn't put up much of a fight."

Keith shook his head. "I had no idea…..How could you do that to him? To me?"

Annabel smiled. "You both seemed to enjoy what I did to you. So don't pretend you are all wounded. You were having just as much fun as I was." She stated.

"You disgust me." Ryan said as he moved towards the door. "Just remember to call Skip."

"Wait for me." Keith said as he pulled on his pants and hastily gathered the rest of his clothes.

"Where are you going?" Annabel asked.

"You don't seriously think I'd hang around here now that I know what you're like?" Keith replied.

"But I haven't finished with you." Annabel stated.

"That may be so. But I've finished with you." Keith said as he walked out the door.

_R/R Thanks._


	115. What to do?

**What to do?**

Ryan made his way towards the lifts wanting to get back to Marissa as quickly as possible. That had always been his intention but unfortunately now, he didn't think it would be for the pleasurable reasons he had at first intended. He had no idea what to do about these new revelations. Keith was in hot pursuit still hurriedly pulling on his shirt and jacket and stuffing his socks and tie in his pocket as he went.

"Ryan." Keith called from behind.

Ryan pressed the call button on the lift and then turned to Keith who was now slipping his bare feet into his shoes.

"I want you to know that I had no idea." Keith tried to explain. "I would have never gotten involved with her if I'd known."

Ryan nodded. He completely believed what Keith was saying. "I know." He looked up at Keith and sighed. "In truth, I feel a little to blame. Maybe if I hadn't come up with my bright idea in the first place then none of this would have happened."

"It's not your fault." Keith assured him. "I just can't believe her. She never once mentioned anything about having someone else in her life. I even asked." he said and then when he saw Ryan's questioning glance he went on to explain. "I've been trying to remember her exact words but … on Friday night before we … well before we … you know ... well I guess it was actually while we were, if you know what I mean?" Keith was embarrassed but as Ryan still looked puzzled he went on. "I actually said to her something like, I couldn't believe that someone like her was actually unattached and her response was that she was attached … to me." Keith blushed as he said the last words, knowing that he'd just confessed to what they were actually up to only hours after having met. "I though it was a strange reply at the time, I just didn't realise that she meant just physically."

Ryan shook his head. "I feel like I should apologise to you. In all honesty, it's not as if she hasn't given me reason to doubt her morals before." Ryan replied.

Now it was Keith's turn to look surprised.

Ryan explained. "The reason that she and Skip got together in the first place was because she was making it a little difficult for Marissa and I and Skip offered to run interference. It seems as if she may have had her eye on me for a while there and she was being a little obvious."

"From her performance just now, it sounds like she still does." Keith added.

"It will never happen. She actually turned up at a dinner party at our place with a dress on and no underwear. And let me assure you that it left very little to the imagination. Just ask Seth … he still talks about it. I guess I should thank my lucky stars that I never showed any interest. As you know all my interest lies elsewhere." Ryan smiled as he thought of Marissa waiting in his … no … not his, he corrected himself. … their … bed.

"Well, you definitely made the right choice. Although I'm sure that it wasn't necessary to make a choice at all. Marissa is in a different league to Annabel."

"In more ways than one." Ryan replied. "But I really don't know what to do about her now?"

"In what way?" Keith asked.

The lift arrived and they stepped inside. Fortunately it was empty so Ryan continued on. "Well, if I could, I'd fire her sorry ass right now. But I can't. Unfortunately I don't think her morals or lack there of, are sufficient grounds for dismissal. She's not stupid … quite the opposite. I suspect that if I try to get rid of her that she'll have me in court in a flash. Unless I find her hawking her wares on a street corner, she can pretty much do what she likes in her own time. Plus … the fact is that there is a secret that I'm counting on her to keep. If I make life too difficult for her then she just might let something slip that I'd rather not be public just yet."

Keith nodded starting to understand the intricacies of the problem. "Would it be that bad?" he asked. "If the news got out? I mean … I've sort of been wondering why you aren't shouting it from the rooftops? I know I would be."

Ryan smiled. "Part of me agrees with you and I guess it wouldn't be the end of the world. But it would certainly cause some problems with our friends and family that we'd rather avoid. We were planning on keeping it to ourselves until after Seth and Summer's wedding." He explained. "They really want their nuptials to be this big fairy tale; sort of the complete opposite of ours." Ryan explained. "And we just think that if news of our wedding gets out … then their's will be completely overshadowed. We don't want that. It would spoil it for them. And I will do everything in my power to make their day as special as can be. I owe it to them. They are my closest and dearest friends. I'd do anything for them."

Keith nodded trying to think of something that may be able to help.

"Plus the fact that when Summer finds out she is likely to rage blackout on both of us. I'd like to delay that as long as possible." Ryan laughed.

Keith smiled. He'd yet to see Summer in action but he'd heard about her rage blackouts, they were legendary and if they were even half as scary as the rumours then he could understand why Ryan wanted to avoid it. "So what will you do about Annabel then?" Keith asked.

"I'm not sure. I'll talk to Marissa and see what she thinks." Ryan said.

Keith started to laugh.

"What? What's so funny?" Ryan asked.

"You. When we got here on Friday, if I'm not mistaken, you and Marissa were barely speaking. Yet here, 2 days later, you're married and talking like you can't make a decision without her … like you are a part of a partnership that is rock solid." Keith explained.

"It is." Ryan assured him. "We just had a small speed bump on Friday but it's all smoothed out."

"Do you think that Annabel will tell Skip?" Keith asked.

Ryan thought for a moment. "Seriously? I doubt it. From the way she just behaved … I don't actually think she realises what she did was wrong. I'm scared that she genuinely doesn't think that there was anything wrong with it; that she could have been playing chess with you just as easily." Ryan explained. "I'm starting to think that she may have some serious problems. So I don't know if I should feel sorry for her or what?"

"What? You think she may be a nymphomaniac?" Keith asked.

"I guess you'd know better than me." Ryan shrugged.

Keith thought for a moment. "I'm no expert but I guess it's possible. All I know for sure is that she likes sex. And lots of it. And she was certainly prepared. I swear she had a year's supply of condoms with her that she was keen to put a dent in. I don't know why she would have so many given that we were only here for the weekend? I can tell you that I certainly have never met anyone like her. She has taught me things that I'd only ever heard about before." Keith started to blush thinking back over the nights he had spent with her. "I'm not usually like that." He tried to explain. "But when she made it so obvious that was what she was after on Friday night well … I guess I'm not proud of the fact that I took what was offered."

Ryan sighed. "Don't beat yourself up about it. I'm sure that most unattached guys would do the same… She's an attractive lady." He shook his head wondering just where to go from here?

"So if you don't think that she will tell Skip … will you?" Keith asked.

"Why the interest in Skip knowing?" Ryan asked.

"I just feel like I should apologise. Try to make sure that he understands that I had no idea that she was his girlfriend. I feel terrible about the whole thing. Skip and I got on really well when we went out in San Francisco together and he had suggested that once I got settled in LA that he'd return the favour and take me out on the town and show me around. I'd hate to think that I have made an enemy of him because I couldn't keep it in my pants." Keith explained.

Ryan nodded. "Well … there's no point in you apologising if Skip doesn't know anything about it. I suspect that Annabel won't say anything. And for what it's worth … I think that he has enough to deal with right now with his father. He doesn't need to be worrying about a cheating girlfriend as well. So I don't think that I will tell him … at least not until he gets back here. He's not going to do anything until he returns anyhow."

"I feel sorry for him." Keith said. "You know … that he doesn't know what she is really like."

Ryan nodded. He felt saddened for his friend. He had enough to deal with right now.

"Do you think he will be okay when he finds out? Or was he really in to her?" Keith asked.

"I'm not sure. I know they were having some problems. So maybe he won't be too upset about it all. But I guess we'll have to wait and see what he says once he knows." Ryan commented.

"So you will tell him?" Keith asked.

"I have to eventually. What sort of a friend would I be if I didn't let him know just what she is like?"

"I see your point." Keith said as they arrived at their floor and got out of the lift. "After you've spoken to Marissa would you let me know what you decide to do?" he asked.

"Sure. I'll keep you posted."


	116. Marissa finds out

_Hey everyone. I'm soory I haven't updated recently but I haven't been able to log on to the site for a couple of days. Here's a long one to make up for it._

_I hope that you're all still reading. There are interesting times coming up._

**Marissa finds out**

Ryan left Keith and walked towards the door of his room and all he could think was … that he wanted to turn back the clock, hop back in bed with his wife and not answer the phone in the first place. If only that could happen and he could pretend that the last 30 minutes hadn't taken place. But unfortunately it was too late for that.

He picked up the newspaper at the door of his room and let himself back in only to find Marissa had fallen back to sleep. She was lying on their bed completely naked but for her rose petal bikini which, as promised, she had put back on. He stood for a moment just looking at her and taking in her beauty. He had so much on his mind. But it was the first day of his honeymoon and he wanted to be spending it in bed with his wife, not trying to work out what to do about his promiscuous secretary. Marissa stirred slightly, causing a few of the petals to move and he decided that Annabel could wait. Whatever he was going to do about her, it wouldn't matter if it waited a few hours. He was more concerned with his wife and what she wanted. And from the trouble she'd gone to, he had a pretty good idea of what that was. He quickly stripped his clothes back off and gently lay down on the bed beside Marissa watching her as she slept.

He figured that she was dreaming as the look on her face softly changed. He thought that he was dreaming when he realised that they were finally husband and wife. She was simply beautiful. He gently moved a piece of hair that had fallen across her face and was interrupting his view. He didn't want anything to spoil her beauty. Much as he didn't want to disturb her, he couldn't help himself, as he leant over and softly blew a few of the petals from one of her breasts. As he revealed a little more of her skin he persisted and blew again. This time he smiled to himself as he watched her now naked nipple harden in front of his eyes. He moved to the other breast and repeated his actions only to be met with the same result. As he watched her body peak and harden in front of him, he felt his body react in sync as his manhood sprung to life. When she was around he had no conscious control over it. He glanced at Marissa's face and noticed the smile and realised that she was in fact, awake, but she had chosen to keep her eyes closed and was pretending to be still asleep. He thought that he would play along with her little game so he moved lower on her body. Still not touching her but using the warm air from his mouth, he moved to her crotch and gently removed the petals from her mound.

Marissa couldn't take it anymore. The feeling of Ryan's warm breath upon her was sending her in to sensory overload. His breath was no longer enough. She wanted to feel his touch. She opened her legs and raised her hips hoping that he would answer her silent invitation.

Ryan smiled as he watched her movements. Still not touching her, he moved back to her breasts and again breathed hot air over them, watching as the nipples hardened even further.

Marissa could take it no more. "Ryan." she cried and she used her hand in his hair to push his head the short distance down on to her breast. She needed to find some release.

Ryan happily complied as he took one rosy nipple into his mouth and licked and sucked it while using his hand to play with her other breast. "Is that what you want me to do?" he looked up and asked.

"Yes! I don't want to wait any longer." She pleaded with him.

Ryan moved his hand down and started to stroke her inner thighs and Marissa started to buck her hips wanting him more than she could ever remember and yet he hadn't even touched her there yet. She could feel her bud throbbing; the ache almost painful. She thought that if he didn't touch her soon she would have to do it herself. She moved herself again trying to grind her hips into him.

"Tell me what you want?" Ryan asked loving the fact that he could have this effect on her. He could see that she was losing control.

Marissa rolled onto her stomach and lifted her self up on to her hands and knees knowing that this way when Ryan took her he would hit her g spot over and over again. "Please." She pleaded.

Ryan didn't need to be asked twice. He moved behind her and entered her, slowly at first, he held her hips as he thrust inside and started to move within her over and over. Marissa began to move with him as she could feel the waves of pleasure starting to build.

Ryan leant over her and with one hand massaged her breasts while the other rubbed her swollen bud. Marissa knew that she could not take much more as Ryan continued to move within her. The feeling was exquisite as he brought her to the edge and then continued over and over until she couldn't help but scream his name as she felt her walls tighten around him and the waves of ecstasy erupted and flowed over her. Ryan held her hips and continued to move in her until she felt him shudder his release and they both collapsed on to the bed.

It was some time later before Marissa was capable of coherent thought. Her body still felt like jelly and the ripples of her intense orgasm were not completely finished with. She had thought that it couldn't get any better but he always seemed to find a way to surprise her. She wondered how she had ever managed to live without him. Ryan withdrew and lay beside her. He softly lifted the hair that had fallen across her face and put it behind her ears and then lent to kiss her gently. "Are you okay?" he asked. He knew that she was still shaking from the intensity of her orgasm and he couldn't help but smile at the thought that she had been so out of control that she had screamed his name. He wondered just how soundproof the rooms were or if they had just provided entertainment for everyone on the floor.

Marissa nodded. She looked at him and tried to get her wayward body under control. It was a dead give away to just how much effect he could have on her.

"Was that what you wanted?" Ryan asked … knowing the answer already. "Or was there something I could do to improve it?"

Marissa felt herself shiver as the last effects of the orgasm left her body. "Don't try to be clever. You know what you do to me."

"I know that you seem to enjoy it. But I'm never sure if there's something I could do to improve it?"

Marissa shook her head. "I don't think there is anything that could be better than that. And if there is, I think I'd probably pass out and not be able to enjoy it anyhow." Marissa replied. "But somehow I have to find a way to return the favour. I don't like the idea that you seem so much in control."

"Let me assure you that it took every vestige of self control that I possess not to ravage you as soon as I saw you lying there. I couldn't get my clothes off fast enough. You never have to be worried about the effect that you have on me. Although I do think that the purpose of a honeymoon is for us to be able to practice this and discover just what it is that we each enjoy."

"If that's the case then I think that we started the honeymoon early because we seem to have been doing that for several weeks now."

"Except when Emily was staying." Ryan replied.

"Ahh. Don't remind me. I don't ever want to go through that again. It was horrible."

"True." He laughed. "But then it did make me realise that I couldn't be without you. Hence me coming to Paris with you." Ryan replied.

Marissa kissed him and said. "I can't wait to get you to Paris and show you around." She smiled. "And show you off." She teased.

"Exactly who are you showing me off too?" asked Ryan.

"You'll see. But I have no doubt that you will be VERY popular."

"If you're talking about your gay friends then just forget it. You know I'm only in to girls."

"Let me remind you …" Marissa said playing with the ring on his finger. "The only girl you will be IN TO is me."

Ryan smiled. He ran his hand over her naked body. "I'm sure I can stick to those rules. But tell me, was that an invitation?"

"Down boy. You need to give me a little longer to recover after what you just did to me. By the way, what happened to you? I was about to send out the search party."

"We'll talk about it later." Ryan replied not wanting to think about what had occurred earlier. He felt like a dark cloud had entered the room.

"Ryan what is it?" Marissa asked.

"I said we'll talk about it later." He replied and turned away from her. He knew that he needed to find a way to deal with Annabel but the last thing he wanted was for her to come between he and his wife.

Marissa turned to look at him wondering what had brought about the change in mood. "What happened? I can tell that something's wrong. So don't try to pretend it isn't."

---

Ryan really didn't want to deal with all this right now but he could tell that Marissa wasn't going to let it go. He sat up on the side of the bed saying nothing; trying to decide how to begin. He started to rub his neck which Marissa knew was more of a stress and tension habit than anything actually wrong with his neck. But she moved behind him and began to massage his neck anyhow, hoping that if he relaxed he would tell her what the problem was.

"Did you give the message to Annabel?" Marissa asked hoping that she could trigger him telling her what the problem was.

"Yeah. I did. But she wasn't alone." He explained.

"What?" Marissa asked confused.

"She had company." He explained.

"Who?"

"Keith." Ryan stated, still shocked by what he had found.

Marissa hesitated. Just what was Ryan saying? "Do you mean that Keith had dropped by to take her to breakfast or something?" Marissa asked.

"No." Ryan shook his head. "Keith had slept there. Although I gather not much sleeping took place."

"Are you saying ….?" Marissa asked.

Ryan nodded. "Yep. Like rabbits. And they had been on Friday night as well, I gather."

Marissa was shocked. "What? I mean … we noticed they were getting on well but … I didn't imagine …"

"I know. I was just as surprised as you." Ryan explained.

"But what about Skip?" Marissa asked.

Ryan nodded. "Exactly."

"How could Keith do that?"

"He didn't know." Ryan explained.

"What?"

"He didn't know. He knew that Skip had a girlfriend but he didn't know who it was. He'd never met her and her name had never come up in the conversation. And it turns out that he actually asked Annabel on Friday night how come she wasn't with anyone and she conveniently chose to not tell him about her relationship with Skip. So they have both been used by her. Keith and Skip. She really is something."

"That ..." Marissa looked for a word that would fit. "skank? … whore? … I don't know what the word is. There doesn't seem to be one bad enough for her."

Ryan thought about mentioning the pass that Annabel had made at him but he decided that there was nothing to be gained by that. Plus, the fact was, that it may very well be enough to send Marisa into a rage blackout of her very own. And that was a memory that he didn't want of his honeymoon. He would much rather the ones that they had just created.

"So … does this mean that she's going to break up with Skip and move on with Keith?" Marissa asked puzzled.

"I have no idea what she intends to do with regards to Skip but Keith has removed himself from the equation all together. As soon as he realised what she was like, he was out of there in a flash. He couldn't get his clothes on fast enough." Ryan smiled.

Marissa noticed the smile and said." I'm glad to see that you find all this amusing."

"Sorry. It's just that when I say that Keith really couldn't get out of there fast enough, I mean that Keith REALLY couldn't get out of there fast enough. He left the room with just his pants on and carrying everything else and proceeded to get dressed on the way to the lifts. I'm sure that if there had been witnesses around they would have wondered just what had gone on. I'm sure that you would have found it amusing too if you'd been there. Annabel wasn't at all happy that he just walked out on her." Ryan explained. "I gather she hadn't finished with him."

"Good. And I hope you fired her sorry ass too."

Ryan shook his head. "I wanted too. I can't tell you how much. But I can't. She'd have me up on wrongful dismissal charges in a flash. She's not answerable to me for what she does in her own time." He explained.

"But they're your friends." Marissa replied getting cross with Ryan. She hadn't liked Annabel from the first time she'd met her and after this she wanted her out of their lives for good.

"Don't you think I know that? But what do you expect me to do?" Ryan replied.

"Surely you're not going to let her treat them like that? You must be able to do something." Marissa insisted.

"Well at this point I don't know what." Ryan said running his fingers through his hair. "I can't just get rid of her. At the moment I have more to lose than she does."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, firstly, if I sack her without good reason, which I don't have, she'll have me in court, which she'll come out of a lot better than I will. Secondly, if we want her to keep our marriage a secret, then I need to not piss her off too much." Ryan explained. "Otherwise she'll shout it from the rooftops. Hell, she could probably sell the story, I'm sure that someone would pay. While she's still an employee of mine, her contract requires her to keep any information I give her confidential, but if I fire her then she no longer has any reason to. And thirdly, right now she is basically indispensable. If I want to spend 3 weeks in Europe with you, starting tomorrow, then I need her in the office to keep things under control. Like it or not, she is very good at what she does."

Marissa glared at him.

"And no. I don't mean that. Although from what Skip and Keith have both told me …" he smiled as Marissa whacked him in the arm.

"I don't need to know." She exclaimed.

Ryan smiled. "But there's no way she can be as good as you."

"Nice save, Atwood."

"I do my best Mrs. Atwood." Ryan smiled looking at his still naked wife and wanting to get this conversation over and done with. He had other things that he wanted to be doing with her that didn't involve talking. OR Annabel.

Marissa smiled. "I think I could get used to being called that. I like the sound of it." She kissed Ryan lightly. "But what can we do about her?"

"Even if I could think of a way to get rid of her, which I can't, it would mean that I couldn't come with you. I'd have to stay behind and that's not the honeymoon I envisaged … with us both on opposite sides of the world." Ryan explained. "So I think that I'm just going to have to let it be for the moment. At least until we get back from Europe."

"And what about Skip?" she asked.

"Well … I was talking to Keith about that one and basically I figure that if she doesn't tell him then I won't either. At least not just at the moment. He has enough to deal with right now. Finding out that his girlfriend is sleeping around is not something he should have to worry about with everything that is going on with his father."

Marissa nodded. "I guess. But you will tell him … eventually? You wouldn't let him stay with her?"

"When he gets back from Australia, if she doesn't tell him what she's been up to, then yes, I guess that I will have to let him know. But it's not up to me whether he stays with her or not; although I can't imagine that he would forgive her after this. They were already having problems. Surely this will be the final straw."

"And what about Keith?" Marissa asked.

"Keith, I feel really sorry for. I don't know if she just used him to keep herself amused for the weekend or if she actually thought that she might move on with him after splitting with Skip but now there is no way that will ever happen. Keith feels terrible. He wondered about calling Skip and apologising. He wanted to make sure that Skip realised that he had no knowledge of their relationship before they hooked up. But I convinced him to wait until Skip returns." Ryan explained.

"You don't think that they will hook up together again while we are away? I mean he really doesn't know anyone else in LA. And it sounds like Annabel will still be after him."

"I don't think that Keith would go anywhere near her now that he knows what she is really like." Ryan hesitated and then asked. "Are you sure that we won't need him with us in Europe?"

"I don't think so. I can pretty much move around there without too much trouble and I don't think that you will attract the same sort of attention that you do here." Marissa replied.

Ryan thought for a moment. "Just to be sure, I might suggest to him that he take the time off while we are away and go back to San Fran for the next couple of weeks. He can tidy up all his loose ends, since he moved down in such a hurry to start work for us."

"That's a good idea. We could even get him to go and check on Cheryl and Emily for us. If he wouldn't mind?" Marissa suggested.

Ryan smiled. "I'm sure that he'd be happy to. I wonder how they're doing?"

"When we get back from Europe we should go and visit." Marissa suggested as she ran her hands over Ryan's naked back. "But right now, I have something else in mind."

"Is it breakfast?" Ryan asked moving his legs back on to the bed to lie beside her.

"Well it is something that I enjoy in the morning." Marissa replied smiling.

"Just the morning?" Ryan asked as her hands moved over him and he began to return the favour.

"I think anytime of day ..." She replied as his lips found hers and cut off what she had been about to say.


	117. Keith's idea

_Hey everyone. Sorry that this has taken so long but I haven't been able to upload for days now. It looks like finally it is working again. Keep your fingers crossed that it stays that way._

_I know that this isn't very long but it's sort of the end of Las Vegas and then Paris will come in the next part so it seemed logical. I'll try to make tomorrow's much longer._

****

**Keith's Idea**

They had returned from Las Vegas late Sunday … and to say that things on the flight were awkward would be seriously under stating the situation. Annabel behaved as if nothing untoward had happened at all. She even tried to sit beside Keith and talk to him. Keith instantly got up and moved and refused to have anything to do with her. A couple of times he had looked at Ryan as if trying to apologise for his behaviour but Ryan just shrugged it off. He thought that she probably deserved a lot more and he knew that Keith was trying to be civil just to avoid any major confrontation in public. Ryan had his hands full with Marissa. Left to her own devices he knew that Marissa would have liked nothing better than to be able to tell Annabel exactly what she thought of her.

The Las Vegas newspaper had carried a large photo of Ryan and Marissa at the conference dinner on the front page. The article that accompanied it suggested that their attendance at the dinner together, had finally confirmed the wide held suspicions that they were in fact a couple. Thankfully as yet, no one had noticed the existence of the rings now firmly in place on their right hands. They were sure that Summer would probably ask about them but they weren't likely to see her until they retuned from Paris and hopefully by then she would not think to make any connection between them and the trip to Las Vegas. The paparazzi had been no worse than usual when they had left the hotel and for that they were truly grateful.

After leaving Annabel at the airport, Ryan, Marissa and Keith were in the car on the way back to their apartment block when Marissa decided that she didn't need to hold her tongue any longer. "I can't believe that woman. I know that you said … that you need her around for the next few weeks, while we are away, but I hope that by the time we return that we can come up with some way of getting rid of her once and for all."

"I can't think of how we can do it." Ryan replied.

Marissa sat beside him trying to think of something … anything that they could do to get rid of her. "There must be something? Maybe you can just pay her off or something?"

"I doubt it." Ryan shook his head. "She's already well paid. I don't think that offering her money would help. Unfortunately I think she likes her job too much to consider leaving for money."

Keith went to say something and then hesitated. "Maybe …"

Marissa looked back at him sitting in the rear seat. "What? Do you have an idea?"

"I'm not sure what you'll think of it." Keith replied.

"Try us. Even if it doesn't work, at this point, anything that might help us get rid of her from our lives is worth trying." Marissa stated. "Plus you probably know her as well, if not better, than anybody … except maybe Skip."

"I only met her 2 days ago." Keith replied, not wanting to be too closely associated with Annabel.

"Well I meant in the biblical sense." Marissa explained.

Keith rolled his eyes. "Thanks for reminding me."

"Sorry." Marissa replied. "But it's true." She laughed. "You have to look on the bright side of things."

"Yeah. I know. But what I was just thinking was that Ryan is probably right … as far as trying to bribe her. I don't think that money would do the trick."

"Are you saying that there is something else?" Ryan asked.

"Well … I think so. I think that there is something else that she would do almost anything for. But I'm not sure if you will like it." Keith replied.

"What?" Ryan asked.

"You." Keith stated.

"What?" Ryan exclaimed while Marissa just stared at him totally dumbstruck.

Keith hastily tried to explain. "Well it was pretty obvious this morning that even though we'd just been … " he searched for a nice way of putting it.

"Fcking." Marissa supplied the word.

"Thanks for that. I was trying to find a nicer word." He replied.

"I don't think that nice and that woman should be used in the same sentence." Marissa suggested.

"You're probably right. Anyhow, as I was saying ... Even though we'd just been …" he started again.

"Fcking." Marissa inserted.

"Yeah. That." He smiled sheepishly. "Annabel was still offering herself to you. That little effort with walking out of the bathroom naked and not bothering to cover up, and then the comments that she made, surely proved that she is still interested in you."

Ryan could feel Marissa about to explode beside him.

"What are you talking about?" She looked from Keith to Ryan and back again.

"Oops. Sorry boss." Keith commented. "I thought that you would have said something."

"It's okay. I just didn't bother to mention it to Marissa because I didn't think that there was anything to be gained. But how do you think that we can use it to our advantage?" Ryan asked.

"Excuse me. Would some one like to explain just exactly what went on?" Marissa asked then turned her attention to Keith. Since Ryan was driving she thought she'd do better to get the information from him.

Keith squirmed in his seat. "I don't remember exactly. She'd just come out of the shower and was drying her hair and hadn't bothered to get dressed. She had on one of the hotel gowns with no tie belt. It was completely open. And it was fairly obvious that she was quite happy about giving Ryan a good look and from the comments she made, I suspect that she would be even happier to show him a good time. You know, put him on her dance card along with Skip and I. And I'm talking about bedroom dancing not ballroom."

"I know what you are talking about. "Marissa interjected. "But surely not. She is one of the few people in the world who actually knows that we're married." Marissa stated.

"I don't think the fact that the two of you are married makes any difference to her. If anything it probably makes Ryan even more appealing. Sort of forbidden fruit if you know what I mean. I can see that appealing to her." Keith replied.

"I still don't see how that can help us. You know that I'm not about to have anything to do with her." Ryan stated.

"I'm not sure exactly either. But I just thought that we may be able to use her attraction to you to our advantage. Maybe after you get back, you could tell her that things aren't going too well with Marissa or something. I could get out the trusty video camera again and we could get her making some suggestive moves on you. We could then use it to threaten her with sexual harassment. You now it's a two way street these days. You could sue her just as easily as she could sue you." Keith suggested.

"Hmmm. I'll think about it." Ryan said the idea not really appealing. He could just imagine the headlines if he ended up taking her to court.

"No. No way. Not a chance." Marissa stated firmly. "You are not going anywhere near that woman if I have my way."

Ryan smiled as Marissa's jealousy came to the fore. "Ris. She's my secretary. How do you imagine that I'm going to avoid seeing her?"

"We'll think of something …or you can telecommute … or you can sign me up as your personal assistant. I'm not letting her anywhere near you." She stated clearly; making sure that Ryan knew that this was non-negotiable.

"Don't you trust me?" Ryan asked smiling at the intensity of Marissa's reaction. Thinking to himself that the idea of her as his personal assistant held some merit. He'd love to have her beside him at all times.

"Of course. It's her that I don't trust. We'll just have to think of something else. You are not going to be offered up as bait. Not this time. Charlotte was one thing but Annabel is something altogether different. We've got three weeks to think about this. Surely we can come up with something by then."


	118. Off to Paris

_Thanks to those of you that stuck with me through the site 'problems. Hopefully everything is all back to normal and I'll go back to posting daily. Things are about to get interesting. LOL_****

**Off to Paris**

Monday morning, Ryan and Marissa were in their bedroom busily packing for the trip to Paris. Suitcases open on the bed and clothes in small piles steadily building up as they moved from wardrobe to bed accumulating everything they would require. "So tell me again who I'm going to be meeting?" Ryan asked.

"Well first you'll get to meet Claude and Marie. They're the couple who run the café at the bottom of my building. We'll probably have dinner there tonight because we'll be too zonked out to think about cooking. Plus we won't have time to shop today and there's nothing much in my apartment to eat. I threw everything out before I left. Maybe that's something that you can do tomorrow while I'm at work?" Marissa suggested.

"I'm not sure if I'll be ready to be unleashed on my own tomorrow. I may need you to teach me a few vital phrases in French first. Like 'I am lost, please show me the way home'."

Marissa laughed. "Maybe we should get you a little cow bell to go around your neck."

"Very funny. It's all right for you. But I don't speak a word of French."

"Don't worry. You'll pick it up quickly. Plus you're so cute; the French women will pick you up if you're looking lost. Hell they'll probably try to pick you up even if you aren't looking lost. They're a little more confidant than American women." Marissa stated. "Actually thinking about it ... You'd better wait for me before you go shopping. I don't want some French tart trying to get her claws into you."

"The only thing I want to pick up is you." Ryan replied moving to sweep her off her feet.

"Put me down." She laughed. "We're running out of time and we're no where near ready to go."

"Well whose fault is that? Someone didn't want to get out of bed this morning as I remember." Ryan replied.

"You didn't put up much of a fight. But I'm out now. And we really need to hurry. I don't want to miss our flight. I've got all these people to show you off too. They're going to love you. Actually, thinking about it, I'm sure that I could organise you a guide for tomorrow."

"If you mean one of your gay friends then thanks but no thanks. I'm not homophobic or anything but I'd just rather wait until you're available." Ryan explained.

Marissa laughed just thinking about the reaction that Ryan was going to cause amongst her friends. "Well … hopefully I'll only be tied up in the morning and we can do a little sight seeing in the afternoon."

"Maybe I could tie you up in the afternoon as well?" Ryan suggested leering at her.

Marissa laughed. "You still want to get even for that little bondage session a while back don't you?"

"I'd like to think of it as returning the favour … not getting even. I don't see why you should miss out."

"I don't see that happening anytime soon. After all … we are on our honeymoon. So missing out shouldn't be a problem. I figure that I have a whole 3 weeks until you lose interest." Marissa.

"I intend to be interested for a lot longer than 3 weeks. But back to who I'm going to meet." Ryan replied.

"Well it depends on who else is working on the shoots. I won't know for sure until I get there." Marissa replied thinking over it. "I would think probably Sasha and maybe Emma will be there tomorrow. You'll love Emma. She's the typical English Rose and sweet as pie. She's a real doll. I sometimes wonder how she survives in the business because not all the girls are like that. Eg Sasha. She's from central Europe somewhere, extremely attractive but a real biatch. You need to watch your back with that one."

"Sounds like fun."

"Hmmm. Sometimes. A lot of them are really competitive so it can get a bit difficult."

"What about guys?" Ryan asked.

Marissa hesitated unsure of just what to say. "They'll be guys there. But I didn't know you were interested in them?" she said teasingly.

Ryan laughed. "I'm not. You know I like girls."

Marissa glared at him.

"Sorry. One girl." He corrected.

"Much better." She laughed.

"What I meant was, are all the guys gay or will there be someone straight that I can feel comfortable with?" Ryan asked.

Marissa hesitated again. She knew that she should just tell Ryan about Karl but she didn't really know what there was to tell. He was definitely straight. He was also a photographer who was so attractive, he could have easily worked on the other side of the lens. And as one of the few straight males in the industry, he had bedded nearly every female model going around. He probably had every straight males dream job. And over the last couple of years, with some encouragement from Julie, he had certainly made his interest in Marissa obvious. And she was almost embarrassed to admit that she had even given in a couple of times and ended up with him in her bed. Usually after a few too many drinks or when she had been feeling particularly lonely but she had told him before she left for LA that she wasn't interested in anything more than that and hopefully once he saw her with Ryan, he would back off completely. He was a good friend and had always been there for her when she had needed someone and so she was reluctant to tell Ryan about their past in case it made Ryan defensive around him. She hoped that they would get on and maybe even become friends.

Ryan waited for a reply and then asked again. "Don't tell me the question is that difficult?"

"Sorry? I was just lost in my thoughts." Marissa explained.

"So. Only gay guys …. Is that what you're telling me?"

"No. There are some straight ones. Although I'm sure you'll love James. He's Karl's assistant – the photographer I'm working with tomorrow. He's as gay as they come but so much fun. I have trouble not laughing whenever I'm around him. I can't wait until you meet. Mind you … if he suggests you going anywhere private with him then I'd keep my back to the wall. Just in case. You are just his type." She laughed.

Ryan looked at her wondering if she was just teasing him. "If you are talking about he man and macho then that's me." Ryan laughed.

"That's just what appeals to him." Marissa laughed.

"Okay. So maybe I'm not he man and macho after all. What do I do to turn him off?"

"I'd keep very dark glasses on if I was you, because one look at those baby blue eyes and he will be all over you like a rash." Marissa laughed.

"I don't like rashes." Ryan grimaced.

Marissa laughed. "Well … you'd better just stick with me."

Ryan grabbed her and held her tightly to him, running his hands over her and pressing her against him until she could feel every contour of his body.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "I can't pack like this."

"I thought I'd just see what being stuck to you would be like and I think I'm liking it." He said as he ground his hardening erection into her as he thought of other places he could be stuck.

"I can feel just how much you like it. And I do too. But if we don't hurry up and finish off here, we are going to miss our flight. So you'll just have to keep that for later."

"Promise?" Ryan asked.

"Promise." Marissa replied.

---

It was Tuesday morning and Marissa had just emerged from the shower. She walked back into the bedroom realising just how much smaller everything here was compared to the spaciousness of Ryan's apartment in LA. Their suitcases were lying on the floor, still unopened. Once they'd gotten in from the airport last night they'd gone out and had something to eat and then had returned to 'christen' her apartment as Ryan had put it. Their clothes were strewn around the room as proof of their haste. She smiled as she walked around them just to get to her wardrobe.

Marissa stood there, knowing that she needed to get dressed for work but her eyes were constantly being drawn back to the naked body lying tousled in the sheets of her bed. It had seemed like such a good idea having Ryan with her here but now all she wanted to do was crawl back into bed with him. He was lying on his stomach, the sheet draped loosely across his bum, leaving the total expanse of his upper torso to her view. His right leg and arm were stretched out sideways as if they were reaching for her. She smiled. She had never imagined that it would be so bittersweet. She loved to have him here in Paris with her. But she didn't want to leave him to go to work; even if it would be only for a few hours.

When she'd left here just under 3 months ago, never could she have imagined that she would return with a husband in tow. She played with her ring. The events of the weekend still seemed almost too good to be true. But the form lying in her bed proved otherwise. She could see the matching ring firmly in place on Ryan's finger. They were married. Husband and wife. She kept feeling like she needed to pinch herself just to make sure that she wasn't stuck in some sort of dream. But then she knew that if she was dreaming all this then she wouldn't need to be going to work but instead would be crawling back between the sheets and in to Ryan's waiting arms.

Shaking herself out of the day dream before it threatened to engulf her she opened the wardrobe door and dropped the towel that she had been holding around her.

Ryan opened his eyes ... trying to accustomise himself to the light in the unfamiliar room and was rewarded with the sight of a naked Marissa standing in front of her wardrobe.

"Good morning beautiful." He said softly.

Marissa turned and smiled. "Good morning. Sorry if I woke you. But I need to get going or I will be late for work." She replied whilst pulling on her underwear.

"You wouldn't have left without saying good bye?" Ryan asked,

"No. I wouldn't." Marissa replied and moved to give him a quick kiss intending to then resume getting dressed.

But Ryan had other ideas and he reached out and held her too him and then moved to pull her back in to the bed.

"Ryan. We can't do this. Not right now at least." She qualified her initial statement.

"I'm not sure if I can wait. You are just teasing me aren't you? Standing there dressed like that."

"What? You'd prefer it if I get dressed in the bathroom in future and come out fully clothed?" Marissa asked.

"Nooooo. Fully unclothed is much better." He replied. "Although it does have some serious effects on me." Ryan said looking down at the tent pole now evident in the sheets.

"I'd love to stay and help you with that but I need to grab a coffee and finish getting dressed and I have about 5 minutes until I have to leave."

Ryan sat up first and then put his feet on the floor and stood up. "How about I be a really good little house husband and I'll go and put the coffee on while you get dressed?" he suggested as he stepped over the clothes and moved towards the door.

"Sounds great. But aren't you going to put some clothes on?" Marissa asked unable to take her eyes from his erection standing proud.

"I was sort of hoping that maybe the thought of me like this might make you get finished with work in a hurry and we could take back up where we have left off." Ryan teased. "But of course if you'd like me to cover up?"

"Stay just as you are." Marissa replied. "It's a lasting view that I'd love to have in my mind as I go off to work. Mind you getting out the door could be a problem." She laughed.

---

Ryan made the coffee and Marissa joined him fully clothed. They couldn't help but laugh at what an interesting sight they would have made with Marissa fully clothed and Ryan completely naked siting on her kitchen stools side by side making their plans for the day. It was agreed that Ryan would do some work at home for the morning. He could answer his emails and make a few calls and then he would meet Marissa about 3 at the studio where she was working that day. She left him with the address and told him to just get a cab. It wasn't far and he could have walked but until he knew his way around it would be easier. If she looked like being held up she would call him and reschedule things. They would have a late lunch and then they were going to go to the grocery store on the way home and pick up some food. Marissa couldn't believe how much the idea of shopping for food with Ryan appealed to her. But then again doing anything with Ryan appealed to her. If she could they would never be parted. She knew that was totally impractical, but a girl could dream.

She finished off her coffee and then lingered over a deep and delicious kiss with her husband before making her way to the door. "I don't mind if you want to work like that, but just remember not to open the door to anyone unless you put on some clothes. The French are a very sexually liberal society but I'm not sure that they are ready for you just yet. And even if they are … I'm not ready to share." She laughed.

---

After Marissa had left, Ryan tidied up in the kitchen and then knew that he had put it off long enough. The time had come. So he picked up his phone and dialled the London number. After a few rings it answered.

"Ryan? Hi. I hope that you have some good news for me?" Dan asked.

"Hi Dan. So things haven't improved there?" Ryan asked.

"No. She just moves from day to day barely speaking. My divorce actually came through yesterday and I thought that might give her a bit of a jolt. I mean we can actually go ahead and get married now but she didn't seem to care at all. I'm not sure if anything can get through to her."

"Not even Marissa?" Ryan asked.

"What? Are you saying?" Dan asked. 'I thought you said that she wouldn't … so is she …"

Ryan laughed at the other man's reaction. Even though they had never met, Ryan felt that he would get along well with Dan. It seemed as if he genuinely loved Julie, something that he didn't think that Julie had experienced much of in her life. Maybe if they could get back on track, everything would work out for her this time. Ryan just knew that he was so happy himself, that he wanted everyone around him to be as well. "Yes, yes, I did and yes. I think they are the right answers in the right order." Ryan explained.

"I don't know how to thank you?" Dan replied. "When?" he asked.

"That I can't tell you as yet. But Marissa did agree, at least in principle. We only arrived in Paris last night and Marissa has a few work commitments lined up but when she gets those under control, I'll see what we can organise. The only problem may be that it will be a two for one package." Ryan informed Dan.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if Julie wants to see Marissa then she is going to have to see me as well. We come as a pair."

"But that's great. I'd love to meet you." Dan replied.

"I'm not sure that Julie would share your sentiments. But that's the way it is. So maybe you should talk to her and I'll give you another call in a day or two and we'll see what we can work out."

"Sounds great. Will you come here? I have a place in the Cotswolds that maybe we could all spend the weekend at?"

"I'll have to see what Marissa has planned but I'll get back to you." Ryan assured him.

"Okay." Dan replied "And Ryan?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."


	119. Ryan's competition

_Thanks for the reviews. Things are about to get interesting. LOL_

**Ryan's Competition**

Karl was preparing his equipment for the day ahead. But he kept looking up and checking the door, keeping a look out for her, knowing that she was due back in today. He couldn't wait to see her again. It surprised him just how much he was looking forward to it. It was not like him at all to think twice about any particular model. Unless of course it was about how to crack the resistance of one that he was trying to bed that was playing hard to get. But somehow Marissa seemed to have crept under his radar and he had to admit that he was really excited about the prospect of her returning. Put simply … he had missed her.

Sure he had happily filled his bed with others while she was away but he was starting to think that just maybe, Marissa was better than a casual fuck. It wasn't that she was all that great in bed. Hell, she was a complete novice compared to someone like Sasha. He couldn't help but smile as he thought back to the weekend that he'd just had. Saturday night, Sasha had turned up at his place with a girl friend. Erin, he thought her name had been, although he wasn't really sure and in all honesty he didn't really care. All he knew for sure was, that she was pale as milk and Sasha was dark as honey and between them they had managed to spend a very energetic few hours between the sheets. It wasn't as if he hadn't had three ways before but these two were insatiable. So much so, that when the two girls had worn him out and he'd been completely exhausted, he'd had to ask for a rest, at which point Sasha called a male friend of hers to come over and pick up where Karl had left off. Marc had arrived and quickly got amongst the two girls.

Karl had thought that he was finished for the night, and had settled in to watch the girl on girl action. The artist in him appreciated the contrasts of their skin colours as they moved over one another. But then, whilst playing voyeur as Marc joined in and kept the girls busy, Karl realised that he felt like he was missing out and he wanted to be part of the action again. Marc had invited him to join in and while Karl was initially a little hesitant at first, a line of coke had proved to be all that he needed to get over his resistance and get amongst them and he had to admit that he had experienced pleasure of a level that he never knew was possible. He hadn't been at all sure about doing things with another guy, but Marc had made it easy for him and so with a little encouragement from the girls, the four of them had continued on throughout the night, pleasuring each other until they were completely spent. He didn't think there was anything that they didn't try.

He couldn't help but smile as he thought about what James would think if he realised that Karl had tried a little man on man action on the weekend. And more importantly, that he had actually enjoyed it. It would never replace straight sex for him, he liked girls way too much, but as an extra, he thought he could get used to it. Hell, who was he kidding? If the other three called him tonight, he'd be there in a flash.

But he would have to keep that to himself. James would never let him live it down if he knew. Plus there was always the chance that James might then think that Karl may be up for some hanky panky with him and his friends. And Karl liked girls way too much to ever consider going for males on their own.

He tried to get his mind back on the job at hand. The thought of Marissa being involved in something like what had happened on the weekend, whilst appealing to him, he knew would be totally impossible. It's not that she was a prude exactly but he'd always had to work really hard just to get into her bed in the first place. If he was honest with himself, he would have to admit, that he would have probably never succeeded without Julie's help. She had taught him how to pick up on Marissa's moods, and to know when Marissa was at her most vulnerable. When she was feeling lonely, she would drop her guard and that was the right time to approach her and have her give in. He'd learnt, again with Julie's help, that if Marissa was happy then he had no chance of getting between her legs. Keep her miserable and with just a few drinks to take the edge off her inhibitions and she could perform quite admirably. And what was even better was that she could actually hold a decent conversation with you in the morning when you woke up, unlike some of the others that he would have preferred just crept away during the night.

Marissa was different.

Who knows? Maybe she could actually become a more constant companion in his life. He was nearing 30. Maybe it was time to think about getting a partner and not just a fuck buddy. He knew that he would never be able to stick to just one girl. Not with the smorgasbord that was on offer to him. But that didn't mean that he wouldn't mind having a back up plan at all times. Someone to fill his bed on the days when he couldn't be bothered chasing someone new. He would have to talk to her about it. Of course not in quite those terms. He figured that she was the sort of girl who was hanging out for something more permanent. Even though she had told him before she left for LA that she wasn't interested in anything serious from him, he was pretty sure that that was just her way of trying to get him to commit to her. Hell … girls had been trying that one on him for years. He knew it was a little game they liked to play; to try to get you to think that they weren't interested and didn't really care just so that you would have to try a bit harder and take the initiative and show your hand first.

Of course he would still need to keep an apartment of his own for his trysts like last weekend but maybe it could work. Plus he travelled so much with work that Marissa would never know exactly what he was up to. And what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. All he knew for sure was that he was looking forward to her returning. Hopefully she would have missed him as much as he'd missed her. And it would be even better if she'd had a miserable time making the film. Then she might be feeling down enough that she could be up for a little welcome home action tonight. After the weekend, he had a few new tricks to try out on her. If only he could convince her to 'need' his company tonight.

Marissa walked in the door of the studio and was still positively glowing. She hadn't been able to take the smile from her face after leaving a naked Ryan in her apartment. He was all she could think about. Her mind was still focused on imagining just what they would do when she finished up for the day and they could spend some time together. She was looking forward to catching up with her friends but she couldn't wait for the time to go by, so that she could be back in Ryan's arms once again.

Karl heard some commotion near the door and turned to see her walk in and stop near the door talking to some of the other girls. He stood for a moment taking in the smile and radiance of her and was surprised at just how amazing she looked. She was positively glowing. Whatever she had been up to, obviously agreed with her. He knew that with some women, he would have interpreted it as a post coital glow but he knew from experience that Marissa wasn't one of them. She'd never looked like that after they had finished their business, no matter how good the fuck had been. Hell … if she did, he'd never have let her out of bed. And much as he was saddened that he didn't think that he'd have any chance getting her on her back tonight … not while she was obviously so happy, the photographer in him wanted to try to catch that glow while he still could. Whatever had caused her to look like that; he knew that it couldn't last. It was rare. He wanted to get her in front of the camera lens as soon as possible before it faded.

When she'd finished talking and was making her way towards the dressing room, he quickly made his way over to her to take her in to his arms. "Rissy" he said as he picked her up and twirled her around moving his head in to take her lips in a kiss.

Marissa moved her head to the side so that his lips barely brushed across her cheek. She hoped that he was just being friendly. "Karl. It's good to see you."

Karl placed her back down, surprised by her reaction. Obviously she was intending on playing the hard to get card. "It's good to have you back." He stated simply.

Marissa just smiled. She knew that he was probably expecting her to say that she was happy to be back, but in all truthfulness, she wanted to be with Ryan. Modelling had lost all its appeal. And the sooner she could complete her contractual obligations and could give it away completely, the happier she'd be.

"Rissy darling." James called out rushing to her side and enveloping her in his arms. "We've missed you. Things here just haven't been the same without you around. I need to know all about just what you have been up to. You naughty, naughty girl ... You didn't keep in contact at all while you were away."

Marissa laughed and returned the greeting. James was a dear friend and could always brighten her day. "I'm sorry about that. I was just … busy." Marissa added.

"But let me look at you." James exclaimed pulling back and casting his eyes from head to toe over her. "Whoa. Judging from that glow … something has obviously agreed with you. Or should I say someone?" James enquired quirking his brow at her.

Marissa blushed and James let out a squeal. "Oooh. Come on let's go get you ready and you can tell me all about him." He said as he pushed her off towards the dressing room.

"But I didn't say …" Marissa started.

"You didn't have to." James replied as they moved off into the adjoining room.

Karl stood where he was, not at all happy with the exchange that had just taken place before him. That was not the greeting he had been hoping for from Marissa. Hell … it could hardly be called a greeting at all. He needed to find out exactly what had gone on while she was away. He had no intentions of losing her to someone else.


	120. Ryan checks on Skip

_Thanks for the reviews. They do help to keep me motivated. Enjoy!_

**Ryan checks on Skip**

Ryan closed his phone and sat back against the sofa in Marissa's apartment. It seemed that everything was going well back in LA. He'd spent the last few hours answering emails and talking to clients and staff, clearing up problems and assigning tasks to keep things moving on all the projects that he currently had on the go and it seemed that handling things by remote control was not only possible but fairly easily doable as well. At least they had managed to cope for 2 days without him and he hoped that the next 2 and a half weeks would happen just as easily. He had just spoken with Annabel and reassured himself that there was nothing else that needed his urgent attention and so he was wondering what to do next. He still had an hour before he needed to leave to go and meet Marissa and he looked around the room wondering what to do with himself.

Since he'd just been talking to Annabel he couldn't help but think about the problems that he knew he was going to have to face with regards to her when they eventually returned to LA. He still had no idea whether she had told Skip about what she'd been up to with Keith or not. Much as he wanted to ask, he knew that he had to keep their relationship purely professional, especially until he returned. He couldn't afford to rock the boat. There was too much to lose.

Thinking about Skip, he checked the time and decided to give him a call. It would be about 9pm in Australia so he might be able to catch him after he had left the hospital for the day and before he went to sleep. He hadn't been able to do it earlier because he knew that Skip had to keep his phone turned off while he was with his father in Intensive Care. But he figured that if Annabel had told Skip about what she was up to in Las Vegas then Ryan wanted to be able to reassure Skip that Keith really wasn't to blame. He knew that Keith was concerned about how Skip would take the news once he found out. And he figured he could offer Skip some reassurance that she wasn't worth being upset about. But he decided that if Skip still didn't know … then Ryan had no intention of telling him until he returned to the states. He had enough to deal with right now.

He picked up his phone and dialled the number, waiting patiently as the international connection was made.

The ringing stopped and Ryan heard Skip's voice say "How're you going hairy legs?"

Ryan laughed. "You know I do have a name?"

"Yeah … But it's a lot more fun to keep thinking up new nicknames for you."

"Says who?" Ryan asked.

"Me. That's who. Mind you … you used to give much better reactions than you do now."

"That's because now, I expect it. You've lost your element of surprise." Ryan replied thinking that if Skip did know about Annabel then it obviously wasn't causing him too much distress …. He seemed to be in fine form.

"Hmmmm we can't have that. I'll have to think of something new to get you with. But enough of all this rubbish, has Marissa realised the error of her ways and decided to throw you over for me yet?"

"It's never going to happen." Ryan laughed.

"But come on. She must have found out what you're really like by now?"

"Of course. That's why she wants to stick around." Ryan replied. "It must be my natural charm."

Skip guffawed. "Excuse me. I thought I was talking to Ryan Atwood. You must have the wrong number. I don't know you."

"You'll never know me like Marissa knows me." Ryan suggested.

Skip coughed and spluttered on the other end of the line. "And I never want to."

"Okay. I'm glad we got that cleared up." Ryan laughed; happy that he had finally managed to leave Skip surprised … it was usually the other way around. "But I wanted to see how things were going? How's your dad?" Ryan asked.

"He's doing good. Getting stronger every day. He's even starting to give everyone a hard time and be cheeky to the nurses so he must be feeling better." Skip laughed.

"That's good to hear." Ryan replied and then couldn't help but ask. "Did Annabel call you back the other day?"

"Yeah she did. Thanks for doing that for me. I'm sorry that I interrupted you and Marissa having a leisurely sleep in … although knowing you two, maybe it wasn't so leisurely …" Skip suggested enjoying teasing his friend.

Ryan thought back to Sunday morning. "It's okay. You did wake us up but that just meant that we had more time in bed together before we had to leave. Maybe I should be thanking you …otherwise we could have slept through the whole morning instead of …"

"Okay. I don't need to know exactly what you were doing. Remember I'm over here without my girlfriend. I don't need to hear about your sexual exploits. It'll only make me even more horny than I already am."

Ryan instantly knew that Annabel had said nothing about Keith otherwise Skip wouldn't be talking about her like that. "So you're telling me there's no talent in Sydney?"

Ryan waited.

He was expecting a glib comment from Skip about Aussie girls but nothing came. He wondered if the call had been disconnected.

"You still there?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah….I'm here." Skip replied softly.

"What happened then? Did I say something wrong?" Ryan asked trying to think back over what he'd said.

"I really … really …don't know." Skip replied thinking about the blue-eyed blonde that he couldn't get out of his mind. All the humour had gone from his voice.

"I don't understand." Ryan said wondering about Skip's sudden change of mood.

"Me either buddy…. So welcome to the club."

"What's going on?" Ryan asked. "You want to talk about it? Maybe I can help."

Skip sighed deeply. "Well .. let's just say that I keep having to remind myself that I have a girlfriend at the moment."

Ryan didn't know whether he should tell him that as far as he was concerned he didn't. "You want to explain that comment more clearly?"

"Remember when you were a kid and your parents had friends who had a daughter that they kept trying to set you up with?"

"Um didn't happen to me. I don't think my parents ever had friends … only drinking buddies and I have no idea if they had kids." Ryan replied. "But I can get where you're coming from."

"Yeah…. well … I used to play with this girl a lot when I was little but her parents moved away for a few years and when they returned I was at high school and there was no way I was letting my mother set me up… I mean what do mother's know about the needs of teenage guys? …Zilch … I wasn't about to start my sexual experimentation with someone they knew. So I wouldn't have anything to do with her and I'm guessing that she felt exactly the same. My parents used to talk about her all the time … but on principle I avoided her at all costs. I mean there was no way that my parents were going to pick out my girl friend for me."

"And ?" Ryan asked. He thought he could see where this was going.

"She's here. She's been to the hospital nearly every day. Dropping by to see how my Dad is and how Mum's coping. Obviously while I've been away she has become quite close to them and I can't believe how great she is. I mean how was I stupid enough to spend all that time avoiding this girl when she's just …. just … perfect."

"Perfect?" Ryan asked surprised. It wasn't like Skip to exaggerate.

"In every way. She's fun and caring and bright and gorgeous and sexy and hot. And…"

"I got it. I got it. So what's the problem? Sounds to me like you've finally lucked out."

"You forget. I, Skip Taylor, for the first time in a very long time, actually have a girlfriend. Talk about sucky timing. I mean I know that Annabel and I were having some problems before I left but I'd decided that I wasn't going to give up so easily this time around. See what you've done to me? I watch you and Marissa together and I'm thinking that just maybe I want that too. If I give up at the first sign of trouble then I'll never find anyone for the long haul. But Cait is ….. she's amazing."

"I think you should go for it." Ryan stated clearly … wondering whether he should tell Skip about Annabel after all. "I mean, we both know that Annabel isn't the long term type. Maybe this Cait is?" Ryan smiled. "You know you always should listen to your mother."

"Yes mum." Skip replied.

Ryan laughed. "I mean you should at least see if there is anything there."

"Let me assure you there's something there." Skip replied looking down at the hard on in his pants from just talking about her.

"Then don't beat yourself up about Annabel. I'm sure that she wouldn't be expecting you to behave like a saint." Ryan stated trying to hint at Annabel's behaviour.

"What are you saying?" Skip asked perplexed by Ryan's comment.

"I just think that … if the opportunity arose … she'd fool around."

Skip pondered the suggestion. "You think? I know that neither of us have very good track records with this sort of thing but we sort of both said that we'd try to make it work this time so I guess I can't very well …" Skip began … only to be cut off.

Ryan knew that they'd all decided not to tell Skip about what had happened with Keith but in light of the current situation he decided to change his mind. "Skip. I wasn't going to tell you this… at least not until you got back to LA … but … she cheated."

"What?"

"She cheated on you." Ryan stated thinking he couldn't make it any clearer.

"I can't … I don't … when ?" Skip asked trying to process the information.

Ryan wondered if he'd done the right thing. "When we were in Vegas."

"Cheated …." Skip said again as if still trying to take it all in. "Are you sure?"

"Oh yeah." Ryan waited for some reaction from Skip and then went on to explain. "I thought that she may have said something to you. But maybe she decided, as we did, to wait until you got back before saying anything. You've got enough to deal with." Ryan suggested. "But I don't want you missing out on seeing if there is anything there with this other girl."

"Cait." Skip supplied the name.

"Cait." Ryan repeated. "So if you think that she might be something special then I don't think you should forgo the opportunity to investigate just because of Annabel." Ryan added and then waited for a response. It was a long time coming. "Skip? You still there?"

"Cheated?" Skip said again and Ryan was starting to wonder if he had done the wrong thing by telling Skip.

"I'm sorry." Ryan said.

"Sorry. It's great. G R E A T Great." Skip replied laughing as he said it. "Could you please get off the phone now? I need to use the line."

"Sorry? I was scared that you might have been broken hearted." Ryan said.

"Over Annabel? Not bloody likely. But I just might be if Cait turns me down. But I won't know that unless I give her a call. So could you please piss off now? And thanks for the good news."

Ryan laughed. "Well I'm sure that Marissa will be pleased to know that you took it so well. Talk to you soon and remember … don't do anything that I wouldn't."

"Promise MOM …But that does leave me with plenty of options." Skip commented. "Now get lost. I've got things to do." Skip replied and then hung up.

Ryan laughed to himself as he closed up his phone. That was not the conversation he had imagined he would have with Skip but it sounded like things were looking up for him and Ryan couldn't have been more pleased.


	121. Marissa's Old Friend

**Marissa's 'Old Friend'**

They had finished up for the day and the girls were all changing back into their own clothes and making plans for the evening to come. James had spent the last few hours between shoots trying to get Marissa to open up about just what or more importantly who, had put the rosy glow on her cheeks but Marissa had steadfastly refused to reveal anything. She wanted to surprise them all when Ryan appeared to collect her. But just the thought that it wouldn't be long until she saw him again had her heart all aflutter. She kept glancing towards the door of the studio knowing that it wouldn't be long until he arrived.

---

Karl was busy shutting things down for the day but he was also keeping an eye on the girls and watching for an opportunity to talk to Marissa alone. He was hoping that the others would leave first so that he could have her to himself for a while and then he intended to speak to her and tell her about how much he had missed her while she was away and suggest the possibility of the nature of their relationship changing. But he didn't really want to speak to her about it with the others all around. He had overheard her decline their invitation to join them all at a club for the night. She'd said that she was still a bit jet lagged and that she'd catch up and go out with them later in the week. So Karl figured that he'd try to have a quiet word with her before she left. Who knows, if everything went according to plan then maybe he could wangle an invitation to drop past her apartment later tonight and continue things. Realising that she was getting ready to leave, he decided that he couldn't wait any longer so he walked over to where the girls all were and asked. "Marissa? Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Marissa was surprised. She really didn't want to be held up this afternoon knowing that Ryan wouldn't be far away. All she could think about was being back in his arms again. But she couldn't very well say no. "Um." She checked the door yet again. "Sure." She shrugged.

"Over here?" Karl asked indicating the other side of the studio, hopefully out of hearing range of all the others.

Marissa frowned but followed him … wondering what he could have wanted. When she got beside him she was surprised as he took her hands into his own, looked earnestly at her and began. "I just wanted to tell you how great it is to have you back. I really missed you." He started.

Marissa felt uncomfortable. She didn't know what this was all about. She and Karl had been friends for a couple of years now … but it was just a friend's … with very very occasional benefits thing. And now, looking back, she didn't really consider them benefits … more slip ups on her part ... nothing more. "Um. Well thanks." She replied unsure as to what he was expecting her to say.

It wasn't exactly the response that Karl had been hoping for but then again, he knew that he had always needed to work that much harder to get her interested than he had with any of the others. Maybe that was why he found her so intriguing. "I was wondering if I could see you tonight? So we could catch up. I know you said that you were still tired but we could always pick up something to eat and a couple of bottles of wine and just go back to your place." He suggested.

"I really don't think so." Marissa replied wondering where this was all coming from. She and Karl had never had that sort of relationship. The only times that Karl had been to her place had been after they had all been out somewhere together and she'd had too much to drink and he'd kindly offered to escort her home. And she wasn't proud of the fact that on a couple of those times she had actually woken up with him in her bed. As far as she was concerned he would never set foot in her apartment again. But how was she to tell him that? They'd never actually dated or anything.

"I'd really like to think that perhaps we could move things along between us. Maybe step things up? If you know what I mean?" Karl suggested.

Marissa was stunned. He was sounding all serious. She couldn't help but wonder what had happened while she'd been away.

---

Sasha and Emma were both ready to go and they looked across the studio wondering if they should wait for Marissa or what? They heard Claudine the receptionist talking to someone in the front office and then a blonde head poked around the entrance to the studio proper.

"WHO IS THAT?" Sasha enquired looking towards the door.

Emma turned and followed her glance. "Ooh. I don't know. But I hope I get to work with him. He's hot." Emma replied. "James look." She called out. "Eye Candy stage left."

James turned around to have a look and then let out a squeal and instantly stopped what he was doing and was about to head off to greet Ryan. "I so hope he's gay." He said to the girls.

Marissa turned around wondering what the commotion was all about and looked up to see Ryan tentatively entering the studio and hesitating beside the door whilst looking around for her. She instantly moved towards him wanting to save him from James who she knew would be closing in on him if she wasn't fast enough. "Eyes off girls. He's with me." Marissa replied as she motioned for Ryan to join her. She quickly walked towards him and left Karl standing where he was … waiting for her answer.

Karl followed her every move, not at all happy about the appearance of this stranger and the way that Marissa had deserted him to greet the newcomer. Although the photographer in him had to admit that he wouldn't mind getting him in front of a lens. The guy positively oozed sex appeal.

Marissa grabbed Ryan by the hand and was about to kiss him when she remembered that she had just walked off from Karl and left him without an answer. She knew that Ryan's timing couldn't have been better because she didn't want to have to answer Karl. And she knew the answer was a definite NO. But she didn't want to hurt Karl by telling him straight out that there was absolutely no chance. He had been a good friend over the last couple of years. She was sorry that he hadn't realised that that's all he would ever be but she also didn't want to put him through any more pain than she had too. She still needed to work with him so she would need to be careful about how she approached it all.

So, she hugged Ryan and then pulled him by the hand to meet her friends. "Hey everyone. This is Ryan. He's um …" she was stuck. What was she supposed to say? She couldn't say husband. And in light of the conversation she had just been having with Karl she didn't want to say boyfriend … at least not until she got the chance to speak to Karl in private. She didn't want to hurt him any more than she had too.

"Um ?" James enquired waiting for Marissa to finish her sentence. "Don't you mean Yum? I certainly think he's yummy." He said as he ran his finger along Ryan's forearm.

Ryan flinched at the touch and Marissa laughed. She could always count on James to break the ice. She looked at Ryan and realised that he was panic stricken. He had no idea how to respond to James obvious interest in him. "He is yummy." Marissa replied only to overhear Sasha mutter "I agree".

And then Emma added "Me too."

"But he's straight." Marissa said addressing herself to James.

"Even better." Sasha threw in as Emma let out a loud wolf whistle.

Ryan felt like he was a piece of merchandise on display the way they were all acting. He guessed that maybe because of what they did for a profession they thought that it was normal to do that but he certainly felt uncomfortable being under their scrutiny. The only one not commenting was the guy over on the other side of the studio that Marissa had been talking to when he'd walked in. He was looking daggers at them all and Ryan wondered if he'd done something to piss him off? Ryan hadn't even said anything to him at this point so he thought that maybe he was just angry at everyone in general. Ryan nodded at the assembled group. "Hi. Nice to meet you all."

"This is Sasha and Emma and James." Marissa indicated "and over there is Karl." Marissa added.

Ryan turned to the guy on the far side of the studio and said. "Hi. I'm Ryan."

"So I heard." Karl said and then turned back to continue working on his equipment.

Ryan wondered about the snub but figured that maybe it was just the French way and so decided not to read too much into it. He turned back to the assembled group only to have James ask. "Were you working on the film with Marissa?"

"No Ryan's …" she hesitated again wondering just what she should say. "an old friend." She finished off.

Ryan frowned. He didn't know what he expected her to say but 'old friend' definitely wasn't it. And he'd sort of been hoping for a kiss but he guessed that maybe she just didn't feel comfortable in front of her friends. But that seemed strange too. He was a little perplexed by her behaviour but decided that they should just get out of there and then maybe he could ask her about it. "You ready to go?"

"Yep." She picked up her bag.

"You sure you don't want to come out with us tonight?" James asked. "You can bring your …friend."

Marissa smiled as James continued to ogle Ryan. "Maybe another night." Marissa replied.

"Nice to meet you all." Ryan said as Marissa linked her hand into the crook of his elbow and they made their way towards the door.

"See you all tomorrow." Marissa said. "And have fun tonight."

"You too. Although, with him … I'm sure you will." James said and then turned to the girls still standing there watching the two retreating figures. "Who is that guy?"

"I don't know but if there are any more of them where that one came from then I'm going to LA as soon as possible." Emma suggested.

"Me too. Did you see those baby blues? I could look into those for hours." James sighed.

"Forget about the eyes. Did you see those arms? Mmpt Mmm. He was cut. He could hold me anytime he liked." Emma said.

"And what about the bum? Small hips. Tight … firm … cheeks. Just like I like them." James added fanning himself as if it was all too much for him to contemplate.

"Forget about the eyes and the arms and the ass. You two are just so innocent." Sasha commented. "Did you look at the crotch?"

Emma and James both shook their heads.

"I couldn't take my eyes off it. Unless he was packing socks in there …He was hung. Well and truly." Sasha informed them.

"If that's the case then no wonder Marissa had a glow about her?" James said.

"Hmmm. It was like a sleeping giant. One that I wouldn't mind awakening." Sasha added.

"From the looks of things, I don't think that she's likely to share." James said sadly.

"I didn't say I wanted to share. I think I want this one all for myself." Sasha replied.


	122. Trouble Brewing

**Trouble brewing**

Sasha waited until the other two had left and then moved over to talk to Karl. She had noticed him talking to Marissa earlier and she had always suspected that he had a soft spot for her. With a bit of luck they would be able to team up and both get what they wanted.

"What do you know about the new guy?" she asked cryptically.

Karl looked up from what he was doing. "Pardon?"

"The guy ... Ryan ... I saw you talking to Marissa earlier … do you know anything about him?" she asked.

Karl shook his head. He didn't want to get in to any of this with Sasha of all people. The last thing he wanted to do was to let Sasha know what he had approached Marissa about. He was already feeling a little bruised emotionally. As soon as the guy had turned up, Marissa had just taken off on him. He'd been planning on telling her just how much she meant to him. But there was no way that he was going to tell Sasha about that.

What he and Sasha did together was purely for physical pleasure. Nothing else. They weren't friends. There were no emotions involved; except those of total euphoria when she made him blow his mind …. Often by blowing other parts of his body he couldn't help but think. He guessed that you could call that an emotion of sorts. There was no doubt that he certainly felt something. He looked her over thinking that feeling something like that right now could possibly take his mind off Marissa. So maybe he should be a little more receptive to Sasha and then the evening may not turn out to be a total waste. "No. From the looks of him, he could be a model. But I've never heard of him. Although I guess maybe he just does shows in the U.S."

"Maybe." Sasha commented. "But somehow I don't think that he is a model. He didn't seem to enjoy us giving him the once over. If he was a model he would have expected and enjoyed it." Sasha said. "Not that I really care." she added and then looked around checking that they were alone and went on. "I just want to get a piece of his action."

"Piece of his action or his meat?" Karl asked.

Sasha shrugged. "One and the same to me. The guy was really hung … and easy on the eye as well. You can't tell me that you wouldn't mind a piece of it either" she smiled. "I know you were a little hesitant getting in to it with Marc the other night. But once you did, you can't tell me that you didn't enjoy it? I was there … remember."

Karl just smiled but said nothing. He didn't need to. As she'd said, she'd been there. There was no point in denying just how much he had enjoyed their little foursome.

"I was thinking that we might ask Ryan to join in next time?" Sasha suggested liking the idea of another four-way. Truthfully … if she got to pick, she'd rather have Marc and Ryan as the guys but she knew that she was going to have her work cut out for her in getting Ryan involved in the first place and she thought that she could probably use Karl's help in getting passed Marissa. Mind you if Karl would like to go off with Marissa and leave Ryan all alone with Sasha then that would be okay too. She had a feeling that Ryan might be more than a handful on his own. And if what she'd imagined about him was right then he was probably more than a mouthful as well. Either way would be fine by her. Just as long as she got some of Ryan's action.

"What makes you think that he likes it like that?" Karl asked, he couldn't deny that the thought of a foursome with Ryan had him intrigued and if anyone could talk Ryan into it then he knew that Sasha would be the one.

Sasha sniggered. "You joking? Okay so maybe I'm not sure if he takes it up the rear but even you would have to admit that one pair of lips is the same as another and I watched you the other night. You can't tell me that a blowjob from Marc wasn't at least as good as what you get from a girl if not better. I guess that guys know what guys like. What makes you think that Ryan would be any different? You don't think that I've been around enough to know the difference between the experienced and the inexperienced? The guy oozed sex. Hell … I could almost smell it on him. You can't get like that unless you been around. I wouldn't mind betting that even I would have trouble keeping up with him." She smiled and added. "He could probably teach me a few things. And someone like that is definitely wasted on Miss prissy Marissa. I suspect she's a missionary position girl. We could ask her to join in too but I'm not sure that she'd be into it."

"I'm sure she wouldn't." Karl replied wanting to keep Marissa right off Sasha's radar. If he wanted to continue to be able to have his fun with Sasha and her friends and have Marissa on the side as well then he knew that he needed to keep the two of them apart. There was no way that Marissa would be in to Sasha's games ... nor did he want her to be.

Sasha smiled as she realised that she'd hit a touchy subject. Karl obviously did have a thing for Marissa, so she was sure she could convince him to help with Ryan. "That's fine. I want him – you want her. I figure that between us we can make this happen. Whether it's all together or as separate couples, I don't really care. Marissa has never done much for me anyhow. I know that when she was drunk one time, she told James that she had a lesbian period at high school so I'm guessing that she knows her way around down there but I can't really see her getting amongst it. She just doesn't come across as dirty enough to go for the whole group sex thing."

Karl shook his head. The thought of Marissa going down on Sasha was definitely not one he could imagine nor did he want to. Sasha and Erin had been kinda hot together and watching them with Marc had been amazing but Sasha and Marissa? No way. It was as if he had two separate sex lives. Sasha was the dirty one – Marissa the clean. Sure the sex with Sasha and friends was mind blowing but he wanted Marissa for the rainy days when you cuddled up in front of the tv. No pressure. With Sasha he knew he was always expected to perform. Again and again. You could only keep that up for so long. Or at least he could. He wasn't so sure about Sasha and her friends. They seemed to be able to keep it going for hours on end. No doubt with some chemical assistance.

But he did have to admit that after his little dalliance last weekend with another guy that just maybe he wouldn't mind finding out just where Ryan's interest lay and whether he did bat both ways. There is no doubt that he was a fine looking specimen. And he figured that he should take Sasha's word for it that the guy smelt of sex. Karl thought Ryan smelt of men's cologne. But then what would he know. Sasha was the authority when it came to stuff like this. He thought about Ryan and tried to convince himself that the reason that he'd like to see him naked was because of the photographer in him wanting to admire the human form but he had to admit that he thought that the fact that he would rather Ryan's naked form be in an aroused state probably indicated that Sasha was right. Maybe he would like a bit of Ryan as well.

"So what do you say?" Sasha asked again after watching Karl run the idea over in his mind. She could tell that he was interested. His eyes did that little crinkly thing that they did when he saw something he liked. Obviously one of the thoughts running through his mind had appealed to him. She just didn't know if it was of Marissa or Ryan.

"What exactly are you suggesting?" Karl asked.

"I'm not sure just yet. We just have to be ready when the opportunity arises. Marissa has said she will come out with us later in the week and I'm guessing that her 'friend' will be with her. And I know, that you know, how to get her …'Needing you' " Sasha said and laughed out loud.

Karl's head shot up as he glared at her.

"Don't look at me like that. I've watched you before when you want to get in to her pants. You ply her with half a dozen gin and tonics and then when she can't walk straight you offer to take her home. I figure that by the time you get to her place, she's probably so depressed from the gin she's ready to jump anyone's bones that's nice to her. She's obviously pretty easy if you get her in the right mood."

Karl was surprised that Sasha knew exactly what he was doing when he went out with them and just how he managed to get Marissa in the mood. He'd only managed to work it out with guidance from Julie. "And what about him?" Karl asked.

"You leave him to me. You just get Marissa out of the way." Sasha replied. "I'll think of something to keep Ryan amused." She replied smugly as a million thoughts ran through her mind of just how she could amuse Ryan.

"What about if he wants more?" Karl asked, not yet ready to give up on the idea of getting a piece of Ryan as well. If nothing else he was hoping to watch as Sasha did Ryan. Hell if he could he'd take his camera along. If Sasha was right … and she usually was about things like this, then it could be quite a sight. Just the thought of it was turning him on.

"Why don't you let me try him out first? If he's all that I think he will be … then I'll make sure you get an invitation for the next round." She replied. She couldn't wait to get Ryan between her legs. Hell … just the thought of it was making her wet.

Karl felt the stiffening in his pants that their conversation had caused knowing that he'd need to find some relief in the not too distant future. "I don't suppose that you'd be interested in some practice tonight?" he asked.

Sasha smiled broadly. "Sounds like a plan. Here? Or your place again?"

"My place. More privacy. Less chance for interruptions." Karl replied.

"Okay. I'll see what Erin and Marc are up to and tell them to meet us there."


	123. Marissa's little white lie

_Thank you to those of you who take the time to review. They really do help keep me motivated._

**Marissa's little white lie**

As soon as the lift doors closed Marissa moved in and began to kiss Ryan, letting her tongue tell him just how much she had missed him while they had been apart.

Ryan eagerly accepted her unspoken message as he returned the greeting. When they came up for air he smiled and said. "Now that's more the greeting that I was hoping for."

"Yeah. Sorry about that. It's just that you came in at an awkward moment." She explained.

Ryan just frowned and raised his eyebrows wanting her to continue with her explanation.

Marissa wasn't sure just what to say but she knew that she didn't want to keep anything from him so she had to try. "It's just …" she began and then stopped. She was unsure about just how to put it.

"Just?" Ryan asked wanting her to continue. He was sure that this was something to do with the guy that was looking daggers at him.

"Just Karl. The photographer." She explained. "Just before you arrived, he asked to talk to me and I'm not really sure exactly what it was all about because thankfully you walked in and interrupted … but I think he was asking me out?" she informed Ryan.

"What?" Ryan asked, surprised.

Marissa shrugged. "I don't really know for sure. He said he'd overheard me say that I wasn't going out with the others tonight because I was too tired and still jet lagged and then he asked could he come over and then when I said no, he started on about something but thankfully you appeared so I didn't have to stay and listen."

"You should have just told him that he has no chance. That we're together." Ryan insisted … not liking the idea of any other guy having ideas about his wife.

"I know. And I will. I guess I just thought I should do it without an audience. You know … let him down gently. He has been a good friend to me over the last couple of years and I don't want to hurt him anymore than I have to." She explained, hoping that Ryan would understand.

"Exactly how good a friend?" Ryan asked with a smile. "Should I be jealous?" He asked partly kidding but partly not. He knew that he shouldn't be jealous. Anything that Marissa did while they were apart was her own business, it's not as if he had been a saint, but he still couldn't help but dislike the idea of anyone else being with her. He didn't want to come across as some sort of possessive prick so he tried to lighten his words by adding. "You introduced me as your 'friend'. I hope that you don't think of us both in the same way?"

Marissa wondered if she should tell Ryan about the couple of nights with Karl? But she could already sense that Ryan was trying to hold his jealousy in check and she knew that if she told him about her slip ups … when she had let Karl sleepover then Ryan would never give Karl a chance. She had hoped that Ryan would get along with all her friends and she knew that when they went out later in the week that Karl would be there. If she told Ryan about the fact that she'd slept with Karl then she knew that not only would tonight be ruined but also any chance they had of having a good night when they went out with her friends. So she made a hasty decision. "No. I definitely don't think of you both in the same way. But I couldn't just come out and say 'this is my husband Ryan' could I?"

"I guess not." Ryan agreed reluctantly. "So … again … exactly how good a friend?"

Marissa thought for a moment and then replied truthfully. "Well we've never dated, if that's what you're asking." Marissa said and noticed Ryan let out the breath he'd been holding since he'd asked the question. She was glad that she hadn't told him exactly what had gone on but she knew that that probably wasn't enough of an answer for him so she decided to add a little more and hopefully it would stop Ryan from asking any more questions. "But he's always been around if I need him." She explained.

"Well I'm around now, if you need anybody. You need to let him know that." Ryan suggested … letting his possessiveness show just a little.

Marissa smiled. She couldn't help but love it when he behaved like this. "I will. I just need to find the right time to explain. Nobody here even knows anything about you. So it's going to be a bit of a surprise. Seth and Summer knew all about our history and yet they were still surprised at just how quickly we got together. Just imagine how it must seem to these people who didn't even know that you existed."

Ryan nodded. He understood what she was saying … but a part of him was surprised that she had never told anyone about their history. He knew that even when they were apart, she had never been far from his thoughts. So much so, that on more than a few occasions over the last few years when he'd been having a few drinks with Skip, he'd confided in him and told him all about her. He guessed that he imagined that she may have done the same but apparently not. He was a little disappointed to think that she had found it so easy to keep it all bottled up. He couldn't help but wonder if maybe it wasn't because she didn't think about him as often as he thought about her?

"I will tell them." She assured him watching the doubts and insecurities flash across his face. She hated that she was doing this to him.

"Okay. But that guy is just going to have to find someone else. You're taken." Ryan said kissing her again.

"Where am I being taken?" Marissa asked.

"If I had my way it would be straight home to bed. Or anywhere else you wanted to try out. I'm feeling adventurous." Ryan suggested. "Afterall … it is my honeymoon."

"Yes…. It… Is…" Marissa replied her words punctuated by kisses. "Mine too. And much as that does hold more than a little appeal, we need to buy some food … purely for sustenance of course. Otherwise we will have to go out to eat again tonight and you know that means we get to spend less time in bed." She teased. "Of course if you'd rather … we could go out sight seeing now?" Marissa suggested.

"I'm sure that Paris is a beautiful city but the only sight I want to see right now … is my wife… preferably naked … in bed beside me." Ryan said returning the kisses and punctuating his words with more. "And underneath me … and on top of me …"

The lift doors opened and they jumped apart startled by the elderly couple that were staring at them and smiling. They both blushed and then returned the smiles and stepped out.

"So grocery store first?" Marissa asked.

"I guess so. And then home." Ryan replied leering at her and leaving her in no doubt about what they would be doing once they got there.

Marissa laughed at him "I'm starting to think that you've got a one track mind, Atwood."

Ryan smiled but replied. "I'll have you know that I can think of a lot more than one thing that I want to do with you."

"I suspect it's the same thing but in different positions." Marissa replied quizzically waiting for him to deny it.

"Maybe." Ryan shrugged with a smile plastered across his face. He looked like a randy teenager not the successful businessman he now was.

Marissa laughed and grabbed his hand and pulled him after her. She knew that she couldn't get there fast enough.

---

A naked Ryan and Marissa were laying in her bed entwined in one another basking in the rosy glow of the aftermath of their love making.

"You know I think I'm addicted to you?" Marissa asked trailing small spirals over his chest with her finger.

"Good. It's all part of my devious plan to make you stay with me." Ryan replied his body starting to respond as her fingers started to tickle.

"Devious plan hey? Do I need to hear more about this?" Marissa asked.

"No. Otherwise you might find a way to circumvent it. And we can't have that." Ryan replied catching her hand with his own and bringing it to his lips to kiss her fingers.

Marissa laughed. "There's no way that your getting rid of me now buster. I got that ring on your finger and it's staying there."

Ryan held his hand up and twisted the ring around. "I'm actually getting used to it being there. I wasn't sure whether I would because I've never worn a ring before. But if it means that you're tied to me then I'll happily leave it on forever. Looks like you're stuck with me."

"Good. I like being stuck with you and to you." Marissa commented. "But tell me, what exactly did you get up to today while I was hard at work? Did you find something to amuse yourself with?" she asked and then laughed. "You were naked when I left here. I couldn't help but wonder if you …"

Ryan laughed. "No. I didn't amuse myself THAT way. I thought that I'd wait for you. Mind you, I was disappointed that you found it so easy to walk out the door and leave me like that."

"I assure you that there was nothing easy about it. I almost turned around and came back again. You're very bad for my work ethic." She laughed. "So what did you get up to?" she asked again.

"Well nothing as good as this unfortunately" he said running his hand over her naked body. "But I do have some news."

"Which is?" Marisa asked.

"Hmmm "Ryan thought for a moment. "… do you want the good news or the not quite as good news or the bad news?"

Marissa thought about it for a moment and then decided "Definitely the good first … maybe we can ignore the rest."

"Okay. So I spoke to Skip. His Dad is improving." Ryan stated.

"That's good."

"And hopefully so is his love life." Ryan added.

"What? What has she done now?" Marissa asked hating even the thought of Annabel intruding while she was entwined with her husband.

Ryan laughed. "If you mean Annabel then nothing. It seems that Skip has a new interest that he was having trouble denying the charms of. An old friend back in Sydney." He explained. "I decided to tell him about Annabel's cheating so that he could make a move on the new girl without feeling guilty."

"How did he take it?" Marissa asked.

Ryan laughed. "Surprisingly well. He couldn't get off the phone fast enough because he wanted to call the new girl and ask her out. So I'm thinking that the Annabel attraction is definitely all over and done with."

"Thank goodness. I was feeling a little bit guilty that it was my insecurities that had led to them hooking up in the first place. I would have never forgiven myself if he had ended up broken hearted."

"I can assure you that definitely was not the impression he gave me, once I'd brought him up to date and shared my knowledge."

"What did he say about Keith. You did explain that Keith had no idea …" Marissa started to ask only to be cut off.

Ryan shook his head. "I didn't tell him. I just said that she'd cheated on him. Not with whom. I guess he will have to know sometime or other but that can be after we all get back to LA and we can explain exactly what went on. He didn't even care enough to ask … so I can't see it being a problem between them once he knows."

"So who's the new girl?" Marissa asked. "How did he meet her? What does she do?" She just hoped that Skip could find someone decent this time around.

Ryan laughed.

"What?" Marissa asked.

"You. You sound like an old mother hen. Are you scared that he doesn't know how to pick them?" Ryan teased.

"Well he did hook up with Annabel. So I think that his track record speaks for itself. Let's hope that this one is a bit better. Otherwise I might have to get Emma to fly over for a visit and we can introduce them. She'd be just his type."

"Matchmaking are we?" Ryan asked.

"I'd just like him to be as happy as we are." Marissa answered and then knew she had to ask "Okay. And the not so good? Is that about Annabel too?" Marissa asked wanting to get all discussion about the slutty redhead out of the way once and for all.

"No. She's actually got everything under control back at work. So I do have to thank her for that." Ryan said and then waited to continue. Part of him wanted to say nothing but he knew that he had to ask her sometime and now while they were so close was as good as any. "The other thing … was … that I talked to Dan today." He felt her tense up just at the mention of his name.

Marissa said nothing. Just waited for what was to come next.

Ryan waited for some kind of comment from her but when she said nothing he added. "He invited us to come and spend the weekend with them at his home in the Cotswolds?"

"No." Marissa replied firmly.

"But I thought that you'd decided that you would speak to your mother? That you wanted to show her how happy we were?" Ryan asked surprised by her reaction. "Have you changed your mind?"

"I'm prepared to see her. But there is no way that I'm spending a weekend in her company. That would be way too much. An hour at most … preferably less, is all I'm prepared to do. I just want to shove our happiness in her face and then get out of there." Marissa explained. "Before she can poison us and everything around us."

"Don't you think that you are over reacting?" Ryan asked.

"No. I don't."

Ryan knew that Dan would be disappointed but he didn't want to push Marissa. He knew that she could just as easily change her mind all together.

"So when?" he asked.

Marissa shook her head. Part of her wondered why she'd ever agreed to it in the first place but she knew that she was doing it mostly for Ryan. "I don't know ... Let me get my work out of the way and I'll think about it then. Maybe on our way back to LA. I'll see."

Ryan quietly accepted what she said. He knew that he couldn't afford to ask any more of her.

Marissa contemplated asking the next question but knew that she had to know "Am I even game to ask what the bad news was?"

Ryan laughed. "Well I guess you could say that it is good news for us because we're here and not in LA." He said cryptically. "It would be much worse if we were there. At least for you anyhow."

Marissa frowned. She wondered if it was something to do with the paparazzi … who surprisingly had not tracked them down in Paris just yet. "I don't understand."

"I spoke to Seth." Ryan explained. "I gather that Bridezilla has everyone working on the wedding. Apparently she has Kirsten in such a state she is ready to pull her hair out."

"Is that Summer's hair or Kirsten's own?" Marissa asked thinking about the possibilities.

"Probably both." Ryan laughed. "Seth sounds like he is ready to call the whole thing off. Summer doesn't want to make any decisions but she doesn't want anyone else to either. She keeps asking him for his thoughts and then doing the exact opposite. He really was sounding frazzled. I was tempted to tell him about Las Vegas and recommend he nick off and elope with her to avoid all the stress."

"And of course you do have a contact in the court house." Marissa added smugly. She still had trouble believing just how much trouble Ryan had gone to, to make their wedding possible. It may not have been a traditional wedding but they were married and that's all that really mattered as far as she was concerned.

"Yes I do. But speaking of contact. Do you think that you'd be up for a little more?" he asked one hand starting to stroke up and down her arm as he rolled his body on top of hers.

Marissa wriggled under him as he held himself above her propped up on his elbows. She could feel his arousal nudging at her and smiled. "As long as it's with you … I think that I would." She explained and used her hand behind his head to pull him in and close the gap between them. Their lips met in a sweet and sensuous kiss as all thought of talking was replaced with their mutual need for one another.


	124. Sasha shows her interest

**Sasha shows her interest**

The next day Marissa made sure that she avoided spending any time alone with Karl. She didn't want a repeat of yesterday. She knew that she needed to get the message through to him that they had no future together but she didn't know how to tell him without hurting him so she'd asked Ryan to come early and watch while they finished the shoot and that way she would be able to avoid Karl trying to speak to her alone again. Plus, she figured that this time when Ryan arrived she would make sure with her greeting, that every one knew that they were together and not 'just friends'. Surely once Karl saw her and Ryan together, he would realise that there was no chance of there ever being anything more between he and Marissa and would leave her alone. It would be easier for her than having to tell him straight out that there would never be anything between them. She didn't think that she could find the right words without hurting him. Hopefully he would just take the hint once he saw her and Ryan together..

At the same time, Marissa was having fun with the others by not revealing anything about Ryan. She had managed to fend off all their questions. They had tried to interrogate her from the moment that she'd arrived. She was surprised that they hadn't recognised him, but she realised that he was mostly featured in American Business and Design mags and none of them would think twice about looking at anything like that. They had just assumed that he was either a model or an actor. James and Emma in particular were full of questions but Sasha didn't say much at all. However, Marissa had noticed that Sasha always paid attention whenever his name was mentioned. Marissa didn't want Ryan to get anywhere near Sasha. She had quite a reputation and Marissa had to think that maybe there was some truth to the old adage, 'Where there's smoke there's fire'. She thought that the rumours about Sasha and her supposed sexual activities were probably exaggerated but she had no intention of testing them out. She intended to make sure that Sasha kept well away from Ryan - just in case.

Marissa was enjoying teasing them by not revealing much about Ryan. It seemed that the mystery of him only made him even more interesting in their eyes. She laughed as they kept up with their questions, trying to catch her out and get the low down on her gorgeous husband. She wished again that she could share the news with them but knew that they were all such gossips that they would never be able to keep it to themselves. She would just have to keep that information to her self and let them know sometime in the future.

---

After attending to his emails and making a few calls Ryan left Marisa's apartment to make his way to collect her, only to be greeted by some paparazzi as he was leaving the building. He had guessed that they wouldn't take too long to track them down but even so, he was disappointed. He knew that now that they had been found, the paparazzi would make life just that much more difficult for them. He declined their requests for an interview and ignored the questions that were being thrown at him, knowing that they would make up their own answers anyhow. They really didn't care much about the truth and as quickly as possible he made his way into a cab and to Karl's studio that Marissa was working at.

Ryan arrived while Marissa was still busy and he stood to one side watching as James helped to pose the models under Karl's direction. Ryan thought that the job was probably wasted on James. Most guys would have given their eye teeth to have been paid to push and prod scantily clad, beautiful women, but it was obvious that James had no interest in them at all except as decorative clothes hangers. That's all they were to him. Ryan couldn't help but laugh at the irony of it all. He knew that Skip would have been happy to pay for the privilege if he'd been there. But then again, James sexual preferences were probably what made the girls so relaxed with him. If a straight guy was putting his hands in some of the places that James was … then the girls would have probably reacted quite differently and not been nearly as much at ease.

Karl had given Ryan a cursory nod when he'd noticed Ryan walk in and Ryan couldn't help but wonder if Marissa had had the opportunity to talk to him and set him straight yet.

Ryan didn't like the idea of Karl having ideas about his wife but then he figured that he couldn't really blame him. What red-blooded male wouldn't? Karl just needed to be made aware that Marissa was off the market. Forever.

---

When Sasha noticed Ryan enter the studio she silently motioned to Karl and he turned to see what she was on about … only to see Ryan move to stand at the side of the room. Not wanting to appear obvious he continued for a few more shots and then said. "Sasha. That's it for you for today. Emma, Marissa I just want a couple more."

Sasha nodded and quietly made her way to the other side of the studio out of the spotlight and then went to stand beside Ryan pretending that she also was watching the rest of the shoot. She waited for a moment and then asked "So how do you like Paris?"

Ryan looked at her surprised. He hadn't realised that she had crept up quietly to stand just behind him. He'd been too busy watching his wife. "Um. I haven't actually seen very much of it yet." He replied honestly, thinking that except for Marissa's apartment, dinner the first night and the market on the way home yesterday … he hadn't seen anything at all. They'd spent most of their time in bed together. He couldn't help but smile thinking about it. He knew that he wouldn't want it any other way.

Sasha watched the expressions on his face change and could read exactly what he was thinking about and she had to admit to being surprised by the intensity of the flash of jealousy that went through her, thinking about Marissa having this man all to her self. She lent in to him and offered. "I could show you some things."

Ryan was surprised by her comment. "Um … Thanks." Ryan replied courteously "but Marissa and I are planning to go sightseeing at the weekend."

"I wasn't talking about sight seeing." Sasha said … her voice dropping to a husky tone and her eyes travelling over him and stopping at his groin to make sure that he knew exactly what she was talking about. The things she wanted to show him were definitely not in any tourist brochures.

Ryan wondered for a moment if he'd really heard right and she'd said what he thought she'd said. When he made eye contact with her there was no doubt in his mind. She was mentally undressing him and it was obvious that she liked the idea much too much. Ryan stated as clearly as he could. "I'm with Marissa."

"For now." Sasha replied and then made her way towards the changing room. "But things can change."

---

While they were getting ready to leave for the day, the discussion turned to where they were going to go out on Thursday night. Lots of suggestions were made but eventually it was decided that since they would have a tourist with them that they should start their night with dinner at the Moulin Rouge and then follow it up with a visit to a club or two in Montematre.

"You haven't been to Paris unless you've seen the Can Can." Emma assured Ryan.

"I guess I have no idea on what I've been missing out on then." Ryan agreed good naturedly. "It sounds fine as long as I just have to watch and I'm not expected to join in with the dancing. Dancing really isn't my sort of thing." He assured them.

Marissa just smiled thinking of a couple of private dances that she'd shared with him recently which had led to them making sweet love together. "I wouldn't necessarily agree with that." She commented her eyes telling him what her words couldn't.

Ryan returned her glance and every one could sense the atmosphere between Ryan and Marissa getting hot and heavy. It was fairly obvious that she was referring to R rated dancing not the sort you did in public. Marissa hadn't revealed very much about the nature of her 'friendship' with Ryan but it was obvious in those few words that the sparks between them were electric.

James looked from one to the other of them and then decided to break the tension in the room. "Well … I for one, would love to see Ryan topless and with his legs high in the air. Bottomless would be even better …"

The others all burst into fits of laughter and Ryan stood pretty much dumbfounded. He didn't know how he was supposed to respond to something like that.


	125. Sightseeing

**Sightseeing**

Marissa had Thursday off work. She'd finished the shoot with Karl on Wednesday and she had a catwalk job on Friday, but today was all theirs. They had plans to meet up with her friends to go out on the town tonight but it still meant that she could spend the whole day with Ryan. She couldn't wait.

Ryan had hoped that they would spend the day in bed but Marissa had other ideas. She wanted to show Ryan some of Paris; a city that she'd grow to love over the last few years. And so she dragged Ryan out of bed early … well not too early … but too early by Ryan's standards; informing him that it was time for his education to begin. Ryan quickly informed her that he felt he needed more education on bedroom activities but Marissa assured him that he had already topped the class in that subject and teased him that if it would make it easier to endure then he could consider their day as recognisance for other possible places besides the bedroom for their activities to take place. After this suggestion, Ryan had to concede that her idea held some appeal; even though he knew that he had no chance of getting her to partake in a public place. The idea certainly was attractive but they both knew that they were too publicly recognizable for it to ever happen. Still they enjoyed pretending that it was a possibility.

Marissa had decided that they would spend the day on a hop on hop off bus tour of Paris. After a hasty breakfast, they managed to sneak out the back of her apartment block, running down the alley passed all the rubbish bins and in to the side street and then on to the bus thus managing to avoid the paparazzi who they figured would have been camped out the front of the building … probably expecting a limo or at least a cab, to arrive for them.

Ryan had to admit that even though he had been reluctant at first, and would have been happy to spend the whole day in bed with Marissa, he was actually happy that she had made him do it. It was a perfect blue sky day and the open top double Decker bus was the ideal way to see the sights. What was even better was the fact that because it was still quite early, there were very few people on the bus and so the top deck, while breezy, was also empty. That meant that they could make out at whim. Just as all couples on their honeymoon should. After being pestered by the paparazzi the day before they both relished the chance to spend time together in public without a camera in their faces. They both knew that it was still possible that some lucky reporter might spot them but they had made sure that they had dressed like any other holidaying tourists. Jeans, t-shirts, caps and sunglasses ... Hopefully they would blend in with the crowd. And if not, then they would live with the consequences. They refused to live behind closed doors just to escape the watchful eyes.

First they stopped at Notre-Dame Cathedral and Ryan was fascinated. He could have stayed there for hours but Marissa kept him on the move telling him that they could always come back on the weekend but that today she just wanted to show him around. Plus the fact that the gargoyles gave her the creeps … in truth she couldn't get out of their fast enough. Next they went to Montmatre and looked around Sacre Couer and they then had an early lunch in one of the small café's near the park where all the artists hung out. Ryan wanted Marissa to pose for a portrait but she insisted that they didn't have enough time today. She had too many things that she still wanted to show him. Then they took in the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Elysses and spent a couple of hours wandering around the Louvre. Ryan would have stayed longer but Marissa was urging him on yet again, telling him that he could come back tomorrow while she was at work; so they hopped back on the bus and then Marissa made them get off in front of the Eiffel Tower.

Ryan stood on the forecourt and gazed up at the metal structure before him. He was amazed that it was over 100 years old. He had seen it several times throughout the day as they had made their way around Paris. It seemed that it was always somewhere on the landscape as if it was watching over the city. As Ryan stood taking it all in, in awe, Marissa grabbed his hand and started to pull him towards the bottom of the structure.

"Whoa. What are you doing?" he asked.

"We're going to the top. You have to see the view of Paris from up there." She said.

"I'll take your word for it. Thanks. But I'll just wait here for you." Ryan replied.

"Uh uh" Marissa shook her head. "We're going to the top."

"Ris. It's like a thousand feet tall and made of little bits of metal and a few rivets. Plus the fact that it's so old, it's probably all starting to rust and fall apart. You don't think for a minute that I'm going up there." He could feel his heart start to race just at the very idea of it. "I may have improved a little when it comes to planes but there is no way that I am going up there. I can almost see it swaying in the breeze." Ryan said half smiling but panic stricken just the same.

"Ryan. You can do this. WE can do this. You won't be alone." She assured him gripping his hand tightly.

"That just means that we both die together. I was sort of hoping for a long and happy life with you. Not death on our honeymoon." He said and Marissa started to waver. She could see that he was really anxious, so she decided to take another tack. She was sure that he would be fine if she could just get him up there. "I guess if you really don't want to then …. But that means that you won't get your surprise." She said; her voice full of regret.

Ryan looked at her wondering what she was getting at. "What surprise?"

"The one that's waiting for you at the top of the Eiffel tower." She replied and shrugged. "But if you don't want it then I can't make you."

"What sort of surprise?" he asked again.

"If I told you then it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?"

'Guess not. But I really don't think that I can." Ryan said as he kept looking at the structure. He was scared to death.

"Sure you can. I'll be with you all the way." Marissa replied and she held out her hand to him.

Ryan looked at her hand and then back at the tower behind her and then looked at Marissa. She seemed so strong, like nothing could stop them and he knew that he had to do this. He placed his hand in hers. "You'd better be right. If I die up there, then I'm coming back to get you."

"I won't let anything happen to you. You're too important to me." she assured him.

---

The trip to the top was not without incident. Ryan became noticeably nervous as the lift ascended. His top lip started to bead with moisture and his face lost some colour as he seemed to grow paler with each passing minute. Marissa leaned in to him wanting to offer her reassurance and she could feel his heart pounding in his chest. She began to wonder if perhaps she'd asked too much of him. She could tell that he was petrified. When the lift stopped and the doors opened it was obvious that he didn't want to get out but Marissa pulled him behind her and over to a viewing platform … making sure not to get too close to the edge. "Just look out at the view towards the horizon. Don't look down." She suggested.

Ryan held on to her, his eyes closed, not wanting to look at all.

Marissa noticed. "If I give you your surprise, will you open your eyes?"

Ryan gulped. He was having trouble trying to keep the nausea at bay. He didn't think that he could open his eyes but he didn't know how to tell her.

Marissa noticed the state he was in. His eyes still firmly closed and she leaned in and softly kissed him, gently stroking his lips with her tongue. Pulling back to see his eyes fly open, she leant back in again. This time the kiss was longer … her tongue slipping between his lips to taste him. By now, Ryan had gotten over the initial shock and was leaning in to her to kiss back. Not wanting to think about where he was … just concentrating on what he was doing. He couldn't help but think back to a certain Ferris wheel many years ago, where she had done something similar. It seemed as if it was always her answer to getting him over his fear of heights. As Ryan released her hand so that he could pull her closer to him, deepening the kiss, she pulled back and chuckled softly. "You are so predictable."

He smiled. "So are you. I should have realised what my surprise would be. It's the same way you always distract me."

"Well it works." Marissa explained. "Complaining?" she asked.

"Never." Ryan replied and kissed her again.

Marissa pulled back. "There's plenty more of those where they came from but I just need you to take a look." She said and moved him a little closer to the edge.

"I'd rather look at you. Ryan said still concentrating on her face before him and then quickly turned to glance out at the surrounding view." It was breathtaking. He had thought that he would glance at it briefly and then they could get back in the lift and return to the ground but the view before him was astounding. Ryan was in complete awe as he started to notice places that they had been to that day. "It's amazing." He said.

"I told you." Marissa commented. "I knew that you would like it." She smiled.

"I love it." Ryan replied now moving around a little to get a better look. He still hadn't looked straight down and he had no intention of doing so but he wasn't in quite such a hurry to leave anymore. He turned back and looked at Marissa who was smiling as she watched him. "And I love you."

"I love you too." She returned simply.

Ryan pulled her into his arms and held her to him. Her back to him and his chin resting on her shoulder as they both gazed out at the surrounding vista. "As long as you are beside me, I think I could do anything."

"Well I'm not going anywhere." She replied as she snuggled in to him and they stood and watched as the sun began to set over Paris.

_**A/N Okay so I know that was a bit fluffy but there's some speed bumps ahead so I thought they could use some 'nice time.'**_


	126. What to wear?

_Thanks again to those of you who take the time to review. I really do appreciate hearing from you._

**What to wear?**

They were running late yet again after having been 'delayed' in the shower.

"I know that it makes sense that showering together should be faster than taking it in turns but some how we always seem to take longer." Marissa remarked to Ryan as they both made their way back into the bedroom to get dressed.

"I hope that you're not inferring that it's all my fault?" he asked smiling at his towel clad wife as she stood in front of her wardrobe gazing into it's expanses.

"I'd like to say yes … but I figure that I was just as responsible as you were." Marissa replied as she pulled out clean underwear whilst thinking back to what had taken place.

"Maybe even more so." He replied as he decided to drop the towel that he'd had wrapped around his waist. He needed to riffle through his suitcase and he couldn't do it with a 'skirt' on.

"What are you doing there?" Marissa asked watching her now totally naked husband, on his hands and knees, digging deeply in to his suitcase as he searched through his clothes. It was taking all her willpower not to go and 'help' him but she knew that if she did that then they'd never leave the apartment tonight, but would spend it in bed, yet again. She would just have to find the power to resist him for once.

"I think I have a problem." He looked up. "I should have either brought more boxers with me or done some washing instead of sight seeing today. I seem to have run out of clean ones."

"I could always lend you one of my thongs." Marissa replied and threw the lacy black one that she was holding in her hand, towards him.

Ryan caught it and then sttod up and playfully attempted to pull it on but it covered almost nothing. The small lycra garment never a chance of holding together his plentiful tackle.

Marissa couldn't help laugh at his attempt but managed to say. "Get it off before you rip it. I don't think that it was ever meant to contain something that big."

"And if you don't stop looking at me like that, then it's only going to get bigger." Ryan replied. He pulled it off and threw it back at her. "So how do you want me? It's either a second use for these or I go commando?" he asked holding up a pair of previously warn boxers.

"Definitely commando." Marissa replied. "I rather like the idea of being able to slip my hand in for a feel whenever I get the urge."

"That will only urge me to do other things." Ryan suggested looking her over as she stood talking to him and pulling on her underwear. "But you do realise that there will be other people around?"

"Yeah but the clubs are pretty dark so I don't think that I'll have any problem finding an opportunity for the occasional grope of my husband."

Ryan smiled "I have an idea." He smiled and paused until he was sure that he had her full attention. "I'll go commando if you do too?"

Marissa was taken aback. "But I was going to wear a dress?" she stated.

"So?" Ryan replied looking at her; the dare evident in his eyes. He had to admit that ever since Annabel had turned up at their dinner party without underwear … the idea of Marissa doing the same had been a secret fantasy of his. "I'll be the only one who knows. And I won't let anyone else get near enough to you to find out. I assure you if your panty less then your likely to have to stay very close to me just to conceal my reaction to you."

Marissa smiled as she took in the sparkle in his eyes. She loved the idea of Ryan staying close for the whole night. Plus as an added bonus, it would mean that she would never have to spend any time alone with Karl. Karl seemed to stay well away whenever Ryan was about. "So you'd have to dance really closely to me?" she asked.

"Yes I would." Ryan replied liking the idea more and more.

Marissa smiled. "Okay. I think I can do that." she said as she pulled her thong back off and noticed his erection start to come to life at just that small gesture.

Ryan had just started to pull on his jeans and then looked down as his body reacted instantly to the thought of Marissa spending the night out without any underwear. He stopped to take them back off again.

"What are you doing? We need to leave … we're already late. We can't stop to do it again." Marissa commented, thinking that all this talk had Ryan now looking for another round.

"I just decided to change to the other jeans with the button fly instead of the zip. I figure that I don't want to have a "There's Something about Mary" moment. That movie still gives me nightmares." He commented as she laughed.

---

In the cab on the way to the Moulin Rouge it was all Ryan could do not to attack Marissa. His hand rested on her upper thigh and his mind was in overdrive, knowing that she had nothing on underneath. He looked over at her, thinking that it would require all of his strength to keep his hands off her. She looked hot. The simple mid thigh length dress that she had chosen to wear had a choker collar with a diamond shape cut out at the front that revealed just enough of the mounds of her breasts to ensure that he would be licking his lips for the entire evening, The back of the dress had a large diamond cut out that meant that there was almost no back to it at all. With the added knowledge that she had nothing on underneath … he thought that he was likely to be in a state of semi-arousal for the entire night. The dress could give Annabel's a run for its money. And this one was much better because it was Marissa who was wearing it. As the blocks passed by his hand started to creep higher and higher up her leg … zeroing in on his target.

Marissa knew exactly what he was up too and had to admit to being in two minds. She knew that she should stop him. But at the same time, the thought of Ryan fingering her in the darkened back seat of the cab, held a lot of appeal as well. She moved her hand to his crotch thinking that two could play at this game and opened her legs slightly to allow Ryan access.

He noticed her unspoken invitation and quickly moved his hand in and began to stroke her, moving a finger slowly and gently into her moistness. He glanced at Marissa and noticed her breathing becoming ragged as he slipped another finger in as she squirmed on the seat. He could feel the tightness in his pants increase. Between what he was doing to her and what she was doing to him, he knew that he would have trouble staying in control if they both continued down this path and so reluctantly with one final swirl, he pulled his hand out from between her legs and placed it on top of hers on the front of his pants to still her movement on him and try to calm himself down. "Maybe we'd better save that for on the way home." Ryan whispered.

Marissa nodded and replied softly. "Unfortunately yes. Otherwise I don't think that you'll be able to get out of the cab. It would be too dangerous. You might poke someone's eye out with that thing." She smiled.

"I assure you, an eye is not what I want to poke." He whispered.

---

The dinner and show at the Moulin Rouge was great. Ryan had never seen anything like it before. He had to admit that the girls were gorgeous and he couldn't wait to tell Seth about it, knowing that he would be very jealous. They had beautiful bodies and he couldn't help but wonder just how Marissa would look in one of their costumes. He thought that he may have to add that to his list of Marissa fantasies; just the thought sending his mind and other parts of his body … in to overdrive yet again. He couldn't believe that he was thinking like a sex starved teenager when nothing could be further from the truth. She had become an obsession. But thankfully she was his.

When the show had finished, they all made their way outside and then the decision was made to walk to a club only a few blocks away. As they made their way to it, James walked on the opposite side of Ryan to Marissa trying to start up a conversation. "So how was the sight seeing today?"

"It was great thanks." Ryan replied trying to be pleasant.

"Any favourites?"

"It was all really good. We didn't have a very good look at anything, Marissa kept moving me along. But I'm hoping to go back to the Louvre tomorrow while Marissa's at work and have a better look around." He explained.

"Did you see the Mona Lisa?"

"Yeah. It's a lot smaller than I imagined." Ryan commented.

"Yeah. It's a bit of a disappointment. But there are plenty of other really good paintings there." James remarked.

"I actually loved the sculptures. I can't wait to go back and have a better look around. How they carve things so beautiful out of a lump of marble amazes me … "

"Have you ever tried to do it?" James asked.

"What … sculpt?" Ryan asked incredulously.

"Well I wasn't asking if you were a virgin." James chuckled. "From the glow that Marissa has had ever since she returned from the states, I figure you know how to do that …. And very well, I'd guess." He laughed.

Ryan blushed slightly. "Um. No." Ryan replied ignoring James' other comments, preferring to pretend that they'd never been mentioned.

"You should give it a go …. I'm sure that you'd be very good with your hands." James said and then started to giggle again.

Ryan wasn't sure just what he was talking about any more. It seemed the conversation had moved from sculpting to sex very quickly.

"You have no idea." Marissa added, a large smile on her face.

James mock glared at her. "I think I do. And I do think that you could share with your friends." He commented. He thought that Ryan was the singularly most sexy guy that he had ever met in his life. If only he could be bi James thought to himself.

Marissa laughed. "Not this. He's all mine." She said putting her hand around Ryan's waist and then dropping her hand inside the waist of his jeans so that her hand cupped his naked cheek.

Ryan smiled as he felt her hand upon him. He liked this possessive side of Marissa. He thought that he could get used to it very quickly.

---

Meanwhile Karl and Sasha were walking behind with Emma alongside them.

Sasha lent in to Karl to whisper quietly too him. "I think that we need to make this happen tonight. They seem to be getting closer and closer."

Karl scowled. He had noticed and he didn't need Sasha pointing out the obvious to him. "How?"

"I'm sure that we will get our opportunity. Just make sure that you are ready to act when it comes along."

"I'm ready. But they never seem to leave one another alone. And they can't keep their hands off one another." He commented disgustedly watching Marissa move her hand inside Ryan's pants.

"It just means that they are horny and they'll be ready to go when we get them alone." Sasha assured him. "Just think about the fun we'll have."


	127. The Club

**The Club**

The club they were in was crowded, hot and dark. The music was loud and thumping. Conversation was basically impossible and after a few quickly consumed drinks, James worked up the courage to ask Ryan to dance. Marissa watched as Ryan tried to process the invitation … obviously in shock. She could see that he initially thought that he was joking but then realised that James was deadly serious and she thought that it was probably the first serious gay proposition that Ryan had ever received. She was about to intervene before Ryan shot James down in flames, when Ryan stopped her. Marissa was scared. She knew that for all his bravado, James was very sensitive and she didn't want Ryan to hurt him. But Ryan smiled at her and then turned to James and thanked him for the invitation but declined gracefully and so James, never to be denied, pulled Emma out on to the dance floor.

Marissa realised that James obviously hadn't expected Ryan to accept but had decided not to die wondering. She smiled across at Ryan, mouthing a thank you too him for his consideration in dealing with her friend and then took Ryan's hand and quickly followed James and Emma on to the dance floor. Ryan didn't object to dancing with Marissa. Much as he still wasn't that keen on dancing, he knew that it was so crowded, that they would be doing no more than holding each other and moving in time with the music. And if it meant that he would be able to hold Marissa tightly to him, then he wasn't about to resist.

Marissa had had just enough to drink to lower her inhibitions and she began to bump and grind against Ryan putting on quite a display. The feeling of wearing no underwear was strangely liberating and she turned her back to him and moved in so that there was nothing between them and began to move against him again. Ryan held her to him; his hands moving lower on her hips to hold her firmly against his growing erection. Knowing that she had nothing on underneath was sending him crazy. She moved her body over his in a display of almost wanton sexuality.

Karl and Sasha stood watching the display. "I may have underestimated her." Sasha commented. "Maybe she is up for our game. Who would have guessed that little Miss Perfect could get down and dirty? She's looks like she's about to do him on the dance floor. I guess that it just took the right guy to come along and bring out this side in her." She said thinking that she had obviously been totally right about Ryan's prowess. If he could get Marissa to behave like that, then he obviously had awakened a side of Marissa that they had never seen before. She could feel the jealousy instantly course through her veins.

Earlier that day she had seen a photo of Ryan in the morning's newspaper that had been snapped by the paparazzi outside Marissa's apartment and she now knew just who he was. Besides being gorgeous, he was also a successful architect and a multi-millionaire. She'd decided after reading the article that she would have to change her mind about him. She didn't want him just for a fuck anymore. She wanted him …. To keep. She'd never thought that she would say that about any guy. But then she'd never met a guy like Ryan before. He was an exception to the rule. No one else seemed any the wiser about just who Ryan was and she'd decided not to share the information. Better to limit her competition. And looking at Marissa and the spell that she was weaving on Ryan … Sasha realised that she did have serious competition. She was glad that she had Karl on her side to help.

Sasha's words only made Karl even angrier than he already was. Watching the woman that he'd decided to settle down with as she basically offered herself to another guy on the dance floor, was only making him even more upset. He no longer wanted a bit of Ryan. He was sure that the sex would be good … probably great … if they could get them all together and there was no doubt that he'd still like to see him naked but for some reason Ryan now freaked him out and intimidated him. He wasn't sure if it was because he had been able to bring out this wanton side of Marissa when Karl obviously had never been able to or what? Maybe it was because he was just too good looking or the casual air of confidence that he had, or the sexual vibe that seemed to emanate from him just under the surface. He didn't know. Karl had decided it was all too much for him. All he knew for sure was that he wanted this new Marissa even more than he did the old one. And Ryan was putting her further and further out of his reach and making it even more difficult for him.

Sasha pulled him out on to the dance floor. "Let's dance and maybe we can swap partners after a while?" she suggested.

Karl nodded and moved behind her as they moved to join the others.

---

Marissa and Ryan were all over one another and Sasha and Karl watched waiting to decide just when and how to move in.

Marissa was getting hot and sweaty and she noticed that the few drinks that she had consumed had gone straight to her head. She smiled at Ryan "I'm feeling a little under the weather. I'm just going to go to the bathroom and splash some cold water on my face." She explained screaming over the loud music hoping to make her self heard.

"Okay I'll go and get us a couple of waters." Ryan replied indicating the crowded bar with a nod of his head.

Marissa nodded that she'd understood and then left in search of the bathroom.

Sasha watched the exchange and then lent in to Karl. "Go now. You'll never get a better opportunity. Just do what ever you have to do to keep her with you." She said pushing him off in Marissa's direction.

Karl quickly followed Marissa. He knew that this might be his only chance to get her alone. She and Ryan had seemed to be joined at the hip all night. He just knew that he would have to get through to her somehow.

Sasha watched Karl's receding figure and then studied Ryan as he stood as the crowded bar. She was almost salivating he looked so delicious and she knew that it would be quite some time before he got served and also if Karl did his job then it would be quite some time before Marissa returned … if in fact she returned at all. She knew that if Karl was successful with his mission, then he would be escorting Marissa home as soon as possible. After a few minutes had passed she decided that she couldn't wait any longer. She wanted to get her hands on Ryan and so she made her way over to stand behind him at the crowded bar and then decided to make her move. She slipped a hand inside the back of his pants just as she'd watched Marissa do on a couple of occasions already tonight and was surprised but delighted to feel the naked cheek. It was soft and smooth, no fuzz. Just as she liked it. She couldn't wait to run her lips and tongue over it. Knowing that he was going commando made her even more bold as she moved to stand behind him, cuddling up to him and wrapping her hands around his waist so she could slip one hand down the front of his pants to reach for his crown jewels. They were all she'd dreamed about for the last few nights and she could feel the heat and wetness build between her own legs as her hand zeroed in on its target.

---

Ryan felt the hand creep down inside his jeans to cup his bare cheek and couldn't help but smile. She moved closer behind him to wrap her hands around him and then he noticed the hand slipping inside the front of his pants reaching for his equipment. He could feel his manhood spring to life at the touch. He pressed his hand against hers, holding it in place to stop it advancing any further and tried to look ahead hoping that no one else would notice just what was going on if he didn't react. He couldn't help but think that maybe going Commando should be mandatory in dark nightclubs with his wife and asked "I know that you wanted to be able to grope me …. But don't you think we should wait until we get home before you do that. We are in a public place?" He said and continued trying to catch the bartender's eye as he enjoyed her touch.

"I don't mind doing it anywhere." She purred softly into his ear.

Ryan was startled as he turned to face the voice. It was not the one he expected. "What?" As he turned, the hand inside his pants grabbed for his growing hard on.

"Want a fuck?" Sasha asked clearly and plainly.

"No." Ryan said removing her hand from inside his pants immediately.

"I think this proves otherwise." she said as she grabbed for his hardness again. It was all she'd hoped it would be and she was feeling weak in the knees just thinking about what she could do with it. Now that she'd been up close and personal with it she wanted him even more … if that was even possible.

Ryan quickly grabbed her by the wrists and held her hands away from him. "When I do, it'll be with Marissa." He stated clearly.

"Marissa's not here right now." Sasha commented reaching for him again.

"No. I said I'm not interested. She'll be back soon." Ryan assured her looking towards the doorway that led to the bathrooms.

"Not as soon as you think." Sasha replied cryptically.

Ryan looked back at her puzzled and wondered what she meant.

"Don't worry. Karl's looking after her." She explained.

Ryan tried to move passed her and towards the doorway that led to the bathrooms but Sasha grabbed for his crotch yet again. "If you really want her, then I guess that we can make it a foursome but they have got a head start on us. He could already be inside her by now."


	128. Ryan finds out

_A/N Okay so I just wanted to reassure everyone that I am a huge R/M fan. No matter what happens they will be together in the end. There's just a few speed bumps along the way. So don't panic. _

**Ryan finds out**

Ryan pushed Sasha roughly out of his way and tried to make his way to the bathrooms through the crowd.

"Just give it up. It's not as if they don't have a history." Sasha remarked following closely behind.

Ryan hesitated and turned to her. "What do you mean?"

"Karl and Marissa. He's been poking her for years". She laughed as she took in the expression on Ryan's face. "Don't tell me …. She hadn't shared that information with you?"

Ryan stood dumbfounded. Surely Sasha was making it all up? He wouldn't put it passed her after what she'd just tried on him. She really was a piece of work. He thought that he'd met all types in his life but she was something else. And not in a good way. Why would he even consider believing her over Marissa? "They have never even dated." He explained to her … wanting to make her understand that he knew exactly what was going on between Karl and Marissa.

"I didn't say they dated. I said they fucked. Why don't you come with me and I'll show you what I mean. I don't want to date you - I just want to fuck you. And I promise to keep you amused until they are finished with their fun. I don't see why we should miss out. She ran her tongue around the outside of her lips making sure that he got the meaning of her words. "I promise that I can give you a blow job that will blow your mind." She offered.

Ryan turned from her obscene suggestion still running her words over in his mind. He didn't know whether to believe Sasha or not? Surely Marissa would have told him if there was an intimate history between her and Karl wouldn't she? She had no reason to lie to him. He had to find out … and now.

---

Marissa splashed her face with water and looked in the mirror. She could see the flush on her cheeks but she didn't know if that was from the alcohol, the dancing or just being close to Ryan. He could do that to her. When she was feeling a little better she emerged from the unisex bathroom only to walk straight in to Karl. A person she had been avoiding being alone with all night. She thought about turning and going straight back into the bathroom but he'd already grabbed her hand.

"Marissa. We need to talk."

"Not now Karl. Ryan's waiting for me." she said as she made to brush his hand away from her.

"Ryan's being looked after. You can't keep avoiding this." He stressed.

Marissa looked at him incredulously. "What are you talking about?" she asked as someone pushed passed them to get to the bathroom forcing them around the corner into a hallway that led to the cloak room. At least it was deserted and a little quieter.

"Just come home with me and we'll sort this out once and for all. " Karl suggested.

"I'm not going anywhere with you. I'm with Ryan." Marissa stressed.

"I know that you are just trying to make me jealous by playing hard to get and you'll be happy to know that it's working. So what is it you want?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Marissa tried to explain.

"Is it just some sort of commitment from me or do you have to move in as well?" He asked. He knew that he would rather that they kept their own places but he thought that if he had to, he could find somewhere else for his other liaisons.

Marissa shook her head. "I REALLY have no idea what you are talking about. I'm moving to LA to live with Ryan."

"You're what?" Karl asked astounded. He couldn't believe his ears.

"I'm moving to LA to live with Ryan." She repeated.

"But your work?" Karl asked.

"I'm just completing the contracts that I already have in place. I'm not taking on anything new unless it's in the States and preferably LA." She explained feeling a little bad as she watched the expression on Karl's face as it changed.

"But after everything we had? I know that you're special Marissa. I've never felt for anyone the way I feel about you. I guess that I took it for granted and didn't realise it until you went away. But I missed you. Stay…. Stay in Paris ... Stay with me." he pleaded.

Marissa just shook her head wondering how she could get through to him.

---

Ryan made his way to the hallway that the bathrooms were in, with Sasha following close behind. He couldn't see Marissa anywhere but could hear voices coming from around the corner. As he neared the corner he heard Karl's voice.

"Please. What we have is too special to just throw away." Karl implored of her.

Marissa wondered how he had ever come to think that there was anything special between them. The time had come to make it perfectly clear but she still wanted to make it as easy as possible on him. "I'm sorry. What we had was not enough for me. I appreciate your help over the last few years and I'll always value your friendship but that's all it was." She explained.

---

Ryan smiled to himself as he overheard her words. He knew that there was nothing going on between them. Marissa would have told him if there was. He turned to Sasha smiling and was about to open his mouth and tell her just what he thought of her little games when he heard Karl's next words.

---

"Friendship? So you fuck all your friends do you?" Karl asked, angry at her words. He'd never put him self out there for a woman before and he didn't like the thought of her turning him down. It had always been the other way around for him.

---

Ryan couldn't believe his ears. He felt sick and wanted to turn and walk away but he stood riveted to the spot waiting to hear her reply.

---

Marissa was shocked by Karl's outburst but softly replied. "I know that we occasionally spent the night together. But it obviously never meant the same to me as it did to you. And for that I'm sorry."

"So what? You're telling me I was just an easy lay?" Karl asked hurt by her rejection.

Ryan moved to the corner and looked at the couple in front of him.

Marissa looked at Ryan horrified but hoping that he hadn't heard what they were talking about but from the look on his face, she knew that wasn't the case.

He blinked a couple of times as if to prove to himself that this was really happening and that he wasn't in the middle of some horrible nightmare. "And what was I?" Ryan struggled to ask.

Marissa looked at Ryan and could see that his trust in her was shattered. She didn't know what to say. The words stuck in her throat. She managed to get out "Ry…"

"You were a good meal ticket." Sasha commented. "There's more of her mother in her than you would ever imagine."

Ryan turned quickly and made his way back into the club with Sasha in hot pursuit.

It took Marissa a minute to come to her senses … she felt like she'd been slapped; the look of pain and disappointment on Ryan's face worse than anything that she'd ever seen. As he walked off, she called after him. "Ryan! Stop." She made to follow him only to have Karl grab her arm and stop her. "Let him go. Sasha will look after him. We need to finish talking about this once and for all."

"But Ryan …" Marissa started.

"Give him a minute to blow off some steam. I don't think I'd want to go near him right now. He'll listen to you when he's not so mad." Karl assured her trying to get her to stay with him.

---

Ryan didn't know where to go? What to do? He couldn't think straight. He looked back at the doorway to see if Marissa had followed but the only person behind him was Sasha.

She gently put her hand on him. "I don't like to say I told you so but ….. Now that you know … how about we get out of here? I'm sure that I can give you something else to think about." she suggested stroking him and making her intentions clear.

Ryan looked over the extraordinarily attractive woman in front of him and felt physically sick. No one would ever appeal to him after Marissa. He pushed his way past Sasha and walked out of the club. Standing outside in the cold he hesitated. He had no idea what to do. He couldn't go back to Marissa's apartment. He needed time alone to think things through and so he turned and started to walk into the dark night … looking for answers when he wasn't even sure of the questions.


	129. Marissa's desolation

**Marissa's Desolation**

When Marissa had finished with Karl, after finally getting through to him that they would never have a future together, she made her way back in to the club looking for Ryan. She had to try to make him understand why she hadn't told him about Karl. She had no idea how she would do that but somehow she had to make things right with him. She just wanted to get out of here and go home, so that they could talk and she could try to explain. She saw Sasha on the dance floor with James and Emma and went to speak with her.

"Where's Ryan?" she asked trying to make herself heard over the music.

Sasha shrugged her shoulders and continued to dance.

Marissa looked around the crowded club again looking for Ryan. When she saw no sign of him she grabbed Sasha by the wrist and dragged her back in to the hallway that led to the bathrooms where she could make herself be heard.

"Let go of me." Sasha complained. Since being rejected by Ryan, she'd been in a foul mood. If Marissa wanted a fight then she'd come to the right place.

"What happened to Ryan?" Marissa asked.

"He left." Sasha replied stating the obvious.

"What do you mean he left?" Marissa asked now panic stricken. She had to find him and try to explain. "What did you do to him?"

"Unfortunately, none of the things that I wanted to." Sasha replied and then smiled adding. "But then I doubt that you will either after lying to him. He couldn't get out of here fast enough."

"I didn't lie to him." Marissa retorted angrily.

Sasha looked at her incredulously "You obviously hadn't told him that you were fucking Karl." she said. She was sick to death of Marissa and her holier than thou attitude.

"I wasn't fucking Karl." Marissa said. It sounded so … crass….. Surely that wasn't what it seemed like to everyone. It hadn't been like that. They'd just …. 'comforted' one another, she thought. Surely everyone could see that. She tried to explain. "I did sleep with him. But it was only …." She didn't know how to put it and make it sound better. She guessed that however she tried to put it … it was still the same. "Whatever it was … it is past tense."

"I don't really care. But obviously Ryan did. AND he knew nothing about it. All he said to me was that you hadn't 'dated' Karl." She smiled, thinking back to Ryan's naivety.

Marissa flinched as she heard her own words come back to haunt her.

Sasha smiled as she watched the grimace on Marissa's face. "You'll be pleased to know that ... I made sure he understood that you didn't need to date a guy to fuck him. But unfortunately I still couldn't talk him into it. Much as I tried. If the guy is stupid enough to turn me down then good riddance." Sasha explained. She was enjoying being able to hurt Marissa. She'd watched her with Ryan and she was jealous of the fact that Marissa had had Ryan in ways that Sasha never would. Watching the pain on Marissa's face was helping Sasha come to terms with Ryan's rejection. She knew that now Marissa would get to know what rejection felt like as well.

"You bitch." Marissa said wanting desperately to slap her and wipe the smile off her face; the thought of Sasha coming on to Ryan sending spears of jealousy darting through her.

"That's the pot calling the kettle black don't you think? I wasn't the one that was lying to my boyfriend. I was just out for a good time and I didn't pretend that it was anything more. Unlike some …" Sasha spat back.

"I wasn't lying. I just didn't …." Marissa tried to explain "… tell him."

"Kid yourself all you like princess. But that's lying. Whether straight out or by omission, it's still lying. No matter how you look at it. And from the look on Ryan's face when he left here … I don't think he likes to be lied too. You may as well hang around here and start looking for a new boyfriend. I doubt that Ryan will have anything more to do with you. Maybe you shouldn't have turned Karl down quite so quickly."

"I don't want Karl and I don't want a new boyfriend. I need to find Ryan." Marissa pleaded with her. "Do you have any idea where he was going?"

"If I knew where he was going don't you think I would have been there waiting for him? The guy is hot as hell Marissa. I offered to fuck him stupid and he turned me down. His loss …" she shrugged. "I'm not going to lose any more sleep over him. Maybe you should do the same." She said and turned to return to the dance floor.

Marissa wanted to tear Sasha's hair out. The thought of Sasha propositioning Ryan made her feel physically ill. But she was the last person to talk to Ryan … so she was Marissa's best and probably only chance of knowing where he'd gone. "Stop! You have to have some idea where he was headed." Marissa pleaded again. She knew that she was losing control but she had to find him and she had no idea where to look.

"Stop beating yourself up over it. You're an attractive woman. You'll find someone else." Sasha said a little more compassionately. She realised that emotionally, Marissa was hanging by a thread.

"I … DON'T … WANT … ANYONE … ELSE!" Marissa screamed trying to make Sasha understand that for her there was nobody that could ever replace Ryan.

Karl had followed Marissa and was watching the two women and he decided to intervene after hearing Marissa lose it and start screaming. "Come on Marissa. Just settle down….I'll take you home."

Marissa turned on him now screaming like a shrew. None of them understood how important this was to her. "I DON'T WANT TO GO HOME. I JUST WANT RYAN." She said and collapsed sobbing into a heap on the floor.

Karl and Sasha looked at one another, totally bewildered by what they should do with her. "I don't see what is so special about him. He's just another guy." Karl said to Sasha.

Marissa looked up at him totally defeated. "Don't you understand? He's not just a guy. He's my husband."


	130. Ryan's desolation

**Ryan's desolation**

Ryan walked the streets aimlessly. He had no destination in mind. Just a need to distance himself from what had just taken place. He needed time to think. The streets around the Moulin Rouge in the Pigalle district of Montmatre were still a hive of activity even at this late … or probably more correctly 'early morning' … hour. The street prostitutes, peep shows and lap-dance bars all spilling on to the sidewalks … their clientele resembling the waste of mankind.

He was approached by a few 'ladies of the night' … all offering to ease his pain and show him a good time. A few beggars had taken in the expensive cut of his clothing and asked for his help but he had ignored them all … and they had left him alone. It was obvious to them that he was zoned out. He didn't even acknowledge that they were there. They all just assumed he was high on something. Best to leave him alone.

He crossed the street and left the brightly lit areas and headed off into the darkened streets that seemed to suit his mood so much better. These streets were nearly deserted. He was followed for a while and if it hadn't been for his powerful build then he may very well have been mugged … but the guy that looked him over thought better of it. Who would walk around in this temperature without a coat? He figured that Ryan must have been on something. Plus he looked like he could fight back, so the potential attacker changed his mind and decided to look for easier prey.

Ryan realised it was cold. In his haste to get out of the club and away from everything that had happened in there, he'd left his coat in the cloak room when he'd walked out … but it didn't matter. He liked the cold. He was hoping that the cold might finally get into his bones and make him numb … then he might stop hurting. There was an ache in his chest that was a physical pain. He wondered if it was actually possible to feel your heart breaking inside you?

Why didn't she tell him? Sure he was bothered by the fact that she'd slept with Karl but he'd had a lot of one-night stands himself, he couldn't hold that against her. But none of them had any emotional connection like Marissa obviously had with Karl. Had she lied because Karl was a serious boyfriend and Marissa still had feelings for him? If that wasn't the case … then why wasn't she honest with him in the first place?

He looked around and wondered if he was lost? But then he thought that to be lost, you had to have somewhere that you wanted to go, that you couldn't find … and he didn't ... He had no where to go.

Ryan shuffled on. No idea where he'd been or where he was headed. He knew that he couldn't go back to Marissa's. He wasn't ready to talk to her yet. He needed to try to understand just what it all meant. Had he rushed her in to a marriage that she hadn't been ready for? Had he some how forced her to lie?

He continued on and came across a large brightly lit hotel and wondered about going inside and getting a room. But then thought better of it. He wouldn't be able to sleep anyhow. He thought that he could always drink him self into oblivion in one of the bars so that it wouldn't hurt anymore … but he was having enough trouble trying to sort out his thoughts with a clear head … he'd have no hope with a few drinks in him.

His thoughts were only of Marissa. Why would she lie to him? Why?

It's not as if he had been an angel when they'd been apart. But at least he had been honest with her when the time came.

It wasn't the fact that she'd slept with Karl that bothered him the most. Although the thought of her with any one else was hard to deal with. But why had she lied to him? And if she lied about this … had she lied about other things? He didn't know what to think.

And why had Sasha suggested that she was after his money and that she was like her mother? Surely nothing could be further from the truth?

But then what was the truth? It seemed that Marissa didn't always tell the truth. He couldn't help but think back to years earlier when he had returned from his time in Chino with Theresa. Marissa had lied about DJ to him. He had asked her if she was dating anyone and she had said no. She had kept her relationship with DJ from him and had continued to see DJ even after she had accepted Ryan's invitation to the kick off carnival. He could still remember how he felt when he saw the two of them making out in the driveway of her house. He hadn't been able to believe that she would do that to him. He had spent the whole summer in Chino thinking about her. Thoughts of her had kept him awake night after night and it was often only through pure physical exhaustion that he could finally manage to fall asleep. Was that what had happened here? Did she not want to break off whatever she had going on with Karl? Would she have been happy to have the two of them on the go at once? Sure when he had overheard them she had been telling Karl that what they'd had didn't mean much to her. But what did their marriage mean to her if she was prepared to lie to him?

And of course there was the other time that she lied to him. The biggest time … the time that they still had never dealt with. He still didn't think that he was ready to even go there.

Round and round the same things went in his head. Questions galore but answers none.

As the first hint of dawn showed in the sky he looked up and realised that he was near the Eiffel tower. He wandered to the forecourt and sat on a park bench thinking about the fact that he had actually been to the top of it less than 24 hours ago. How had his world come crashing down in such a small amount of time?

---

Karl had finally managed to get Marissa home. After her shocking confession at the club … he had felt bad about stopping her from following Ryan. Although he knew that it had been important for he and Marissa to sort out what was going on between them.

If only she had told him in the first place that she was married then he would have kept away. Sure there were heaps of married women that were happy to sleep with him. But he'd always known that Marissa wasn't that type. That was one of the things that appealed to him when he was considering her becoming a permanent part of his life. She wouldn't cheat on her husband. He liked that in her.

So why hadn't she told him in the first place? It seemed that she liked keeping things to her self if she hadn't bothered to tell Ryan about sleeping with him. Maybe she wasn't quite the person that he'd always thought she was.

He could tell from the state that she was in that she really loved Ryan but he had no idea how to help her find him. He'd tried to get her to go to bed, telling her that he was sure that Ryan would appear by the morning but she would have none of it.

She was just sitting beside the telephone and every few minutes she'd pick it up and call again. She had been doing it continuously ever since they'd got here … calling Ryan's cell. He'd had to convince her to put the phone down for a few minutes in between her calls just in case Ryan was trying to return the call.

He didn't really want to be here anymore but he didn't think that he could leave her either. It was nearly 6 in the morning and he knew that he would have to make a decision soon and maybe leave her to her own devices but she was in such a state that he was scared about what she might do.

---

All Marissa could think about was finding Ryan. She had no idea what she was going to say to him when she did. She just needed to find him. She needed to be with him.

Everything that had happened was going over and over in her mind. What would he think of her? How could she fix this? Why hadn't she just told him when he'd asked?

She picked up the phone and tried his cell again.

Still no answer. She tried to think of where he might be and in desperation she picked up the phone and dialled again. But this time to a different number.

---

Summer answered the phone. "Hey girl. About time you called. I hope that you're nearly finished over there because I need you back here to help me with …"

"Summer." Marissa barked into the phone and cut her off in mid sentence, she was in no mood to listen to Summer rattle on about wedding plans.

Summer pulled back stunned. She could tell from the tone of Marissa's voice that something was wrong, dreadfully wrong. "Coop. What's wrong?"

Marissa regretted being short with her friend but right now she could only think about Ryan. "Is Seth home?" Marissa asked.

"He's just gone to pick up some take out. What's wrong?"

"Has Ryan called?" Marissa asked the desperation now evident in her voice.

"Honey what's happened?" Summer said. She could tell that something was wrong.

"Summer … " Marissa started to cry. She just wanted Ryan. She thought that just maybe he would have called his brother to talk to him She couldn't think of anyone else that he would want to speak to. At this point, she just needed to know that he was okay. What if something had happened to him? She would never forgive herself.

---

Ryan sat looking at the Eiffel tower in front of him as the morning glow flooded the sky. He knew that he would never have gone up it yesterday without her. But when she was beside him … it had seemed that anything was possible. He needed that. He needed her. He knew that he had to go back to the apartment and see Marissa. He still had no answers. Hopefully she would supply them. He went to stand up … realising for the first time just how cold he really was. His body was reluctant to move. But he forced it to obey and hailed a passing cab.

The time had come.


	131. Summer takes sides

**Summer takes sides**

Marissa was stunned.

How could Summer say that? She had been expecting Summer to be concerned and sympathetic not …. Abusive.

"But I was just trying to protect him … I didn't want to hurt him." Marissa tried to explain.

"What? And you don't think that lying to him hurt him? When will you realise that he's a big boy? I'm sure that he'd rather hear the truth from you and then deal with it than hear it from someone else and find out that you've lied to him."

"But I just …" Marissa started again.

Summer shook her head. "And I really thought that you two were going to make it this time. I sure hope that you haven't stuffed things up completely."

Her words ate into Marissa. Surely Ryan would forgive her? Wouldn't he?

Summer started again. "I told you when you got together again that if you hurt him that you'd have me to answer to." Summer wanted to comfort Marissa but she felt that Ryan was the one that deserved her loyalty at this point.

"But I didn't …"

"What? Didn't lie? ….. You just told me that when Ryan asked how good a friend Karl was that you 'forgot' to mention that you'd slept with him … you denied that he was anything special. And then you thought that they might become friends? What are you on girl? Can you imagine how you'd feel if Ryan did the same thing to you? Although I'm sure you can't because that's one thing that Ryan doesn't do. He doesn't lie."

"But I don't … it was …"

"What? You don't lie? Don't give me that. You and your little secrets. Haven't you learnt from past experiences that they always come out and somehow or other it is always seems to be Ryan that gets hurt the most by them?"

"When have I …?" Marissa started only to be cut off again.

"Let me see … How about when Ryan came back from Chino and asked were you dating anyone and you said no. And then he comes to talk to you only to find you making out with DJ in the driveway. Real nice …."

Marissa felt sick. "But it wasn't like that …" she said. Surely Ryan could see that this was different.

"What you don't think he wasn't hurt by that? You have to be kidding me? And then of course there's the really big one." Summer said.

"What big one?" Marissa asked.

Suddenly Summer wondered if perhaps she had taken things too far. No one ever talked about it and now she had to go and bring it up. She thought about dropping it but decided that the time had come. If Ryan and Marissa were ever going to have a future together then they were going to have to deal with it. And properly. "When Ryan came back form Miami." Was all she needed to say.

Marissa felt physically ill. She tried not to think about that. Ever. Some nights she still lied awake and wondered what would have happened if she had done things differently? If she had called Ryan in Miami when it first happened and told him about Trey. What would he have done when he got home? Could things have turned out any worse than they did?

When Ryan had asked her over and over what happened when he'd been away and whether anything had happened between her and Trey – she had kept it all a secret …and it had eaten away at them and caused a distance that she would never forget … until she finally opened up to Summer who then spilt the beans and Marissa ended up shooting Trey. And Ryan had ended up caught between a rock and a hard place. Suddenly Marissa realised that if it hadn't been for Summer telling Seth then maybe things would have turned out differently. If only she'd kept her mouth shut. "You were the one that caused that problem." Marissa bit back trying to get Summer to take some of the blame.

Summer was stunned. Sure she told Seth the truth about what had happened but Marissa must have known that the truth would have to come out some time. However Summer had to admit that a few times over the years she had wished that she had waited and told Sandy first. Things may have turned out so much better if she hadn't just rushed off to Seth with the news. What had she expected him to do? She knew that he would tell Ryan straight away. And that had been a recipe for disaster. But if Marissa had told them all in the first place then Summer would never have been put in that position. "No I wasn't. You should have told him in the first place. Keeping secrets always comes back to bite you."

Marissa had to wonder if she was right. She played with her ring and then decided that they were getting no where. She wanted out of this conversation as quickly as possible. "If you hear from him can you please just let me know?"

"Sure. But I wouldn't hold your breath." Summer said and then thought about how upset Marissa had been when she'd first called and added. "And don't worry about him. He's pretty good at looking after himself. I'm sure that he'll turn up … when he's ready."

---

Ryan's cab pulled up in front of the apartment building and unfortunately there were a couple of photographers there even at this early hour. He had to wonder if they ever slept. But he had no time for them. He paid the driver and then as quickly as possible made his way inside, not hesitating once to answer any of the questions that were being thrown at him.

He made his way to her floor, hoping that she would be sound asleep and he would have some time to pull him self together before he had to confront her. But just as he was about to place his key in the lock, the door opened from the inside. He steeled himself … waiting to confront Marissa … only to come face to face with Karl. It was touch and go just who was the more shocked.

Finally Ryan found his voice. "What are you doing here?" Ryan asked. Karl was the last person that he expected or wanted to see at this point. Did this mean that things between Marissa and Karl weren't over? Ryan had been beating him self up all night with thoughts of Marissa lying but he hadn't seriously considered the fact that maybe she didn't want to be with him anymore. Doubts started to creep in again. He may have decided that he still wanted to be with her but maybe she didn't feel the same way?

Karl raised his open hands in mild defence indicating that he wasn't looking for a fight. "I just brought her home. She's a bit of a mess." He explained.

"Was she drinking?" Ryan asked. He knew from experience how Marissa dealt with things in the past.

"NO!" Karl said. "She's just distraught."

Ryan listened to the words and much as he tried, he couldn't help but be concerned about Marissa. "What did you do to her?" Ryan asked starting to get angry.

"Nothing. She was just upset when you took off." Karl replied and then decided that he wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. Whatever was going to happen … he didn't want to be part of it? "I have to go. But she's just fallen asleep. Maybe you should let her be for a while."

Ryan nodded and then stood to one side to let Karl passed. He watched his retreating form as Karl moved to the lift and then somehow found his manners. "And thanks." Ryan said.

Karl turned at his voice, not sure just what he meant.

"For bringing her home." Ryan added.

Karl nodded. "I know this may sound strange coming from me but I hope that you sort things out."

Ryan nodded and then made his way inside.

---

Ryan moved into the bedroom and looked at the sleeping form of the woman he loved. Her eyes were swollen and red from crying, but she still looked beautiful to him. There was no doubt that there were times when he wished that he could stop loving her. But he had tried over the years and it was no use. She was it for him. She was like a drug that he couldn't live without. Whether it was good for him or bad for him he sometimes wasn't sure. He just knew that … he was dependant on her to make his life complete. Without her his life seemed pointless. He would just have to try to come to terms with how they were going to make their life together work. He wasn't sure if he would ever be able to trust her again. Lies came much too easily to her.

He knew that it made him weak …But there was no way that he could live without her.


	132. The News gets out

**The News gets out**

Ryan quietly showered and changed and when he emerged from the bathroom, Marissa was still asleep. Much as he wanted to, he didn't feel comfortable with sharing a bed with her until they had talked about everything that had happened and so he went and made himself a coffee and sat in the lounge, still trying to warm up. It was nearly 7 in the morning and he'd had no sleep but he still kept going over everything in his mind. He was getting no where. After going round and round in circles yet again he eventually laid down where he was on the sofa and finally fell into a restless slumber.

---

Marissa awoke with a start. She looked at the clock and realised that she was going to be late for work.

She rolled over and realised that Ryan was still not there and quickly picked up the phone to call him again only to be greeted by his voicemail yet again. The last thing she wanted to do was go to work but she knew that she had to. It was the final fitting and rehearsal for the Chanel parade at Fashion Week next Tuesday. She had to turn up. As she dragged herself out of bed to go to the bathroom she noticed Ryan's clothes on the bedroom floor and quickly moved into the lounge room looking for him only to find him curled up on the sofa fast asleep. She contemplated waking him knowing that they had so many things to talk about but then thought better of it. Even though he was asleep he looked troubled and the conversation that they needed to have could not be rushed. It was too important. And she needed to be somewhere else already. She decided to leave him rest and quickly got ready for work and then wrote him a note and silently let herself out of the apartment.

---

Sometime later Ryan stirred. He was stiff and uncomfortable and as he opened his eyes he realised that it was bright daylight. Glancing at his watch he was amazed to see that it was after 12. He swung his legs to the ground knowing that he couldn't put off talking to Marissa any longer and as he went to stand up he saw a note had been placed on the small coffee table in front of him. Picking it up, he unfolded it to read.

_Ryan,_

_I had to go to work so I decided to let you sleep. _

_I'm so sorry for everything. Please forgive me. You know that I love you. I always have and I always will. I'll be home as soon as I can._

_Love always._

_Marissa._

Ryan refolded the letter and made his way into the kitchen to make some coffee. He knew that Marissa loved him in her own way. He didn't doubt that. But was it enough? Would she ever stop lying to him? He was stiff and sore. Whether it was from wandering the streets all night or from the cramped confines of the sofa he wasn't sure. He decided to take a hot shower to see if it might help and tried to go over everything that had happened. He knew that he still had no answers. He hoped that when Marissa returned that maybe she could explain to him exactly why she felt the need to lie to him but until then he needed to get his mind on something else. Otherwise he would go around the twist. After the shower he decided to try to work but realised that he had left his cell phone at the club the previous evening. It was in the pocket of his jacket. And so he decided that he'd go and collect it. A bit of fresh air might do him good before he had to face the inevitable conversation with Marissa. In truth he wasn't really sure if perhaps he wasn't trying to avoid the confrontation but he figured that it was a good excuse plus he may actually be back before her anyhow.

He was still so confused about everything.

---

Marissa was having trouble concentrating. All she could think about was making things right with Ryan. Plus she had to tell him about the fact that she had accidentally let out their secret. She didn't know why she had done it. It had just come out. She'd been trying to explain to Sasha and Karl just how important Ryan was to her. And obviously someone – she assumed Sasha – had nicely told the press because when she had emerged from the apartment that morning she had immediately been swamped by questions about her marital state. She had remained silent but she needed to tell Ryan before he found out the hard way. Even some of the other models had been quizzing her.

After stuffing up for about the tenth time, Claudine the director of the show called her out. "What is wrong with you Marissa? You don't seem to have your mind on the job at all. I've never seen you like this." she asked.

"Um. I'm sorry. I'm not feeling very well." Marissa replied looking for an excuse for her behaviour. She knew that she had been terrible all morning. Besides having her mind elsewhere she'd also only had a couple of hours sleep. So that wasn't helping. She had stumbled and fumbled and missed cues all day.

"Well then perhaps you should go home. You are only making things more difficult here for everyone." Claudine said exasperated.

"I'm sorry. I promise that I'll be better on Tuesday."

"I certainly hope so. Just make sure that you are here early so I can run through everything with you before the show starts." Claudine demanded.

"Okay. I will. I'm really sorry." Marisa apologised.

Claudine didn't wait to reply but walked off leaving Marissa looking after her. She had always thought of Claudine as a friend. They had worked together for a long time. But obviously the friendship only worked while Marissa was on her game.

As quickly as possible, Marissa left and made her way home. When she saw the number of paparazzi waiting for her she thought about calling Ryan to come and help but decided against it. She'd created this monster. She'd have to deal with it alone.

---

Ryan was just leaving the club, jacket and phone safely returned when his phone started to ring. He smiled as he looked at the caller id. He wondered what Seth would have to report and whether the wedding plans were actually progressing.

"Hey."

"Hey bro. So you're talking to me this time?" Seth asked.

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked puzzled.

"Well after Marissa's call last night, I tried calling you but you wouldn't answer." Seth explained.

"Sorry. I didn't have my phone with me. I've just gotten it back. But … Marissa called you last night?" Ryan asked. He wondered why she had done that.

"Yeah she did. She was looking for you. Obviously you turned up. And everything's okay with you two?" Seth asked.

Ryan hesitated. He wasn't sure how to answer. "Um…"

"Don't um me. What's going on over there? First Summer gets a call from Marissa having a melt down because she lied to you or something and then she and Marissa end up having a big fight because Summer takes your side. And then Summer's all panic stricken about what she said to Marissa and whether you two are reverting to your teenage mode and self destructing."

"Yeah well …" Ryan started to say only to be cut off.

" … And then the next thing I know we get a call this morning from some guy wanting to know if you're married?" Seth laughed. "I mean how ridiculous. Here we are concerned that you're breaking up again and someone thinks you're married. They even called Mom and Dad. Where do they come up with this stuff? As if you'd ever get married without us being there?" Seth commented.

Ryan felt ill. He now knew why there were so many paparazzi outside the apartment when he'd left that morning. Once he'd seen them, he'd actually decided to leave by the back door to avoid them. But how did they know? Who had told them? He was pretty sure that Keith wouldn't have. Which meant either Annabel or Marissa. Much as he didn't want to think that it was Marissa … he knew that after last night anything was possible. Maybe he didn't really know her at all. Everything was going around and around in his mind. Was he just naïve to think that what he and Marissa had was the real thing? Maybe she wasn't the person he thought she was. They'd spent a long time apart. Maybe she'd changed and he just hadn't spent enough time with her to realise. He needed to talk to her. And now.

"Ryan? Are you still there?" Seth asked interrupting Ryan from his thoughts.

"Yeah sorry. I was just thinking about something." Ryan replied.

"What?" Seth asked. "You're acting really weird."

"Sorry. There's just been a lot going on and I haven't had much sleep." Ryan explained.

"Well that's not unusual for you two. You do know that beds are meant for sleep? I gather when you two hit a bed together you're too busy doing the horizontal mambo to get any rest at all."

"That's not the problem… " Ryan started.

"Just tell me that you're not married so that I can stop Summer from having a meltdown."

"I …" Ryan wanted to lie but he knew that was the exact thing that had caused them all their problems in the first place. How could he expect Marissa not to lie if he was doing it? He was going to have to tell Seth. But how? He decided to keep it simple. "I'm sorry." Was all he could say?

"You're sorry?" Seth asked. "What do you mean you're sorry?"

"Last weekend. In Vegas." Ryan started.

Seth was momentarily stunned and then finally found his voice. "You're… you're telling me that you ARE married? You GOT married? Without us?"

"It just happened. We …"

"No Ryan. Weddings don't just happen. Let me assure you. I'm living through the making of a wedding and there is nothing further from the truth than they 'just happen'. How could you man? Do we mean so little to you? Don't you realise how long we've all waited for this? What about Mom and Dad? They'll be heart broken."

Ryan knew that he had to try to explain that they were going to tell them but just not until Seth and Summer were married. "Seth we just wanted to wait until …"

Seth cut him off. "Obviously the one thing you didn't do was wait. " Seth replied hurting from the thought of Ryan and Marissa taking such a monumental step without them. "If Marissa's melt down showed anything last night maybe it showed that you should have waited. But then how would I know? It's not as if you needed to share any of this with me."

"Seth let me explain."

"Don't bother. I'm sorry I troubled you." Seth said and hung up.


	133. News travels

_A/N Thanks to those of you who are enjoying this enough to leave a review. It's great to get your feedback. I'm not sure what you'll think of this chapter because it may not be what you expect but I guess that you'll let me know. Enjoy!_

**News travels**

Ryan felt sick. As if the problems with Marissa weren't enough. Now he had to work out how he could fix things with the Cohen's as well. Seth could wait. He would let him calm down a bit before he even attempted to talk to him again. He hailed a cab and as he sat back in the seat after telling the driver his destination, he debated whether to call Sandy or not. He knew that if Sandy was going to find out then he'd rather tell him in person than have him hear from someone else … especially Seth in the mood that he was currently in. He thought about waiting until after he'd spoken with Marissa but that would probably be too late. By then Seth would have probably already spoken to Sandy. Ryan figured that he probably had a few minutes up his sleeve because Seth would no doubt be tied up with telling Summer what he'd learnt so Ryan decided that he needed to act now. He flipped open his phone, noticed that he had 10 missed calls and 3 messages but decided to deal with them later and called Newport. While the phone was ringing all he could do was hope that it would be Sandy that answered. He figured that he would be the best bet at maybe giving him a chance to explain. He was scared that Kirsten would be too upset to even hear him out. Surely it was about time that something went in his favour. He was starting to think that the God's were all against him.

"Hello."

Ryan let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't even aware that he had been holding his breath until he'd heard Sandy answer. "Hi. Sandy."

"Ryan. How's things? We were just talking about you." Sandy replied pleased to hear from his 'other' son.

Ryan could just imagine what they were talking about. Now that he had Sandy on the phone Ryan had no idea where to start.

"Ryan? You still there?" Sandy enquired.

"Yeah. Sorry."

"So to what do I owe the honour of this call? Not that it isn't great to hear from you but you're not exactly known for ringing up for a chat." Sandy teased. Even after all these years Ryan was still a man of few words.

"I um … need to talk to you." Ryan stammered out.

"Okay so talk away. I'm all ears." Sandy said light heartedly. "Well except for the arms and legs and nose and ..."

"Um … Sandy ..." Ryan interrupted and then stopped. He had no idea where to start.

Sandy was surprised by Ryan's obvious reluctance to talk. Not that Ryan ever wanted to talk but if he'd taken the time to call then he obviously had something on his mind. "Ryan. Is everything okay with you?"

"Yeah. It's just …." Ryan replied and then stopped again.

"Is Marissa okay?" Sandy asked now getting worried that there was some sort of problem. Why else would Ryan call so unexpectedly?

"She's um … " Ryan didn't know what to reply. He had no idea really just how she was.

"Are the paparazzi getting to her? I know that they have now come up with some ridiculous idea that you're married." Sandy laughed. "Kirsten and I were just talking about it. Not that we aren't looking forward to the day but really … where do they come up with these things? It seems they can make up anything they like. If they have been annoying us then I can just imagine what you have been going through. I know how freaked Marissa was after that incident in the mall with Emily but surely as long as you're around to protect her she wouldn't panic too much?"

Sandy's words just made things even worse for Ryan. He hadn't even thought about how Marissa was handling the paparazzi. There had been too many other issues to deal with. Plus the fact was that he wasn't with her to help if they were annoying her. But Ryan decided to put that out of his mind for a minute and concentrate on the one bit of hope that Sandy had offered him. "So you and Kirsten would like to see us married?" Ryan asked attempting nonchalance.

Sandy was surprised by Ryan's sudden change of subject. "Of course. We know how you feel about Marissa. You're a different person when she's around. I don't think I've ever seen you as happy as you've been since she came back."

Ryan knew that Sandy was right. Whatever issues he had with Marissa he would have to work through because he needed her with him. "I'm glad to hear you say that because … " Ryan wasn't sure if he could actually do it.

"Because …" Sandy urged him to continue."

"Because … we are." Ryan finished.

"YOU'RE WHAT?" Sandy asked hoping that he'd misunderstood.

Kirsten came running from the bedroom when she heard Sandy raise his voice.

"Just let me explain. Please. Before you over react?" Ryan asked.

"OVER REACT?"

"Please …" Ryan pleaded.

Sandy took a deep breathe and tried to calm down. "This better be good." Sandy said.

"Okay. So you know when we talked that Sunday before we got Emily and I told you that Marissa and I had already talked about the future?"

"Yeah. But you said that I couldn't tell Kirsten because you still had a lot to work out."

"What couldn't you tell Kirsten?"

Ryan overheard Kirsten ask Sandy over the phone. Her being there was only going to make this more difficult. But he'd started now. He just had to try to get them to understand. "Well we had already decided then that we were going to get married but because of all the attention that we seem to attract with the paparazzi, we thought that we would wait until after Seth and Summer's wedding. We didn't want to take the gloss off things for them by suddenly becoming the centre of attention."

"Okay. That sounds like a plan. Plus it would give you sometime to work through things together. But they aren't getting married until next year. So what happened with the plan? I'm confused … are you or aren't you? …" Sandy started only to be cut off.

"That was the intention. However … a few things happened that were putting some pressure on our relationship. Not the least of all the fact that I wanted Marissa to see Julie while we were over here."

"You what?" Sandy said amazed. "Whatever made you …"

Ryan cut him off again. "It's a long story that I don't really have time for right now. But let's just say that Marissa was paranoid that her mother would manage to come between us again and then when we were in Las Vegas last weekend …" Ryan shrugged "I don't know. It just seemed like the answer. It figured that it would mean that Marissa would be reassured about Julie … and you know that I've always wanted her as my wife … and well we just sort of thought that we could make it legal but still keep it quiet until after Seth and Summer's wedding and that we'd have a renewal of vows then … with you all there." Ryan was starting to ramble hoping that something that he was saying would get through to Sandy.

Sandy meanwhile was having trouble processing the full implications of what Ryan had said.

Now it was Ryan's turn to ask. "Sandy? Are you still there?"

"Yeah. I'm here." He replied somewhat forlorn. "You don't think that you rushed it a bit? I mean I know that I said that it's what we wanted for you but … you've been apart for 7 years … don't you think that you may need a little more time to see if you still feel the same way? I mean what happens if you've changed? If she's changed? When you are missing someone it's easy to remember the good times but there were bad times too with you and Marissa. You can't just pretend that they didn't happen. Have you dealt with all of that?" Sandy asked only to be met by silence. "I guess it's all too late for me to even say these things to you now. I just hope that you haven't rushed into this and don't end up regretting it?"

Ryan didn't know what to say. He knew that what Sandy was saying was true. They probably should have dealt with everything before they got married and then maybe they wouldn't be in the position they were currently in. "Sandy we'll be fine." He replied with little conviction. In truth he had no idea where they were at.

Sandy rubbed his brow. It really was too late to start giving advice now. Ryan and Marissa were going to have to work their way through this one together. He just hoped that this time they would make it. "So I guess that I am supposed to say congratulations?"

"Thanks." Ryan replied. "And I'm sorry about not including you. We wanted you all there but it would have been too difficult with Seth and Summer. Marissa and I both wanted something small … and " Ryan couldn't help but start to wonder if maybe they had rushed in to things. Had he forced Marissa into doing something that she wasn't ready for? Looking back … he'd thought that the story of their wedding would make for an amusing tale later in life but maybe he should have seen the problems as a sign that it wasn't supposed to happen?

"Sounds like you got your wish." Sandy replied, the disappointment evident in his voice.

"Sandy … Please …" Ryan started.

"Please what?"

"Please try to understand. I've already had Seth hang up on me. I thought that perhaps you would understand. We were trying to not spoil things for Seth and Summer." Ryan pleaded.

Sandy sighed. "I know. I can see that you were in a terrible situation. I can't say that I'm not disappointed but I know you. You were just thinking of others … something that Seth would never even consider. Don't worry about him … I'll talk to him. We'll get through this."

"I hope that you're right." Ryan replied thinking about a lot more than just the problems with Seth. The car turned the corner into Marissa's street and slowed down. There was already a cab in front of the apartments and the paparazzi had trebled in number and were everywhere. He was about to ask the cab driver to drive on when he realised just why there was such a commotion going on as Marissa stepped from the other cab only to be swamped by the waiting crowd. "Sandy I have to go. I'll talk to you later." Ryan said as he threw some cash at the cab driver and jumped out.

---

Marissa was panic stricken. She knew that she had created this monster but she had never expected anything like this. She was being pushed and shoved. She heard her jacket rip as she tried to pull away with all her might, trying to progress towards the security door but she didn't seem to be getting anywhere. There were flashes going off and people all around shouting at her and she was on the verge of tears when she felt a strong arm come around her. She tried to push it off only to hear the most beautiful words in the world.

"Ris. It's me."

She turned around and then collapsed into his arms the tears now flowing freely. Ryan pulled her tightly to him with one arm while using the other to pave a way through the crowd. His jaw was set in a steely expression and no one would have considered crossing him. It was obvious that he would have happily taken them apart if anyone impeded their progress. The crowd parted before them.

Once safely inside the apartment block he guided her to the waiting lift and led her inside. He contemplated dropping his arm from around her, still unsure of just where they stood but it felt right. She felt right … and so he left it where it was. After a few moments Marissa pulled back a little and simply said. "I'm sorry."

Ryan nodded and then looked back towards the lift doors breaking eye contact. "It's okay."

"No. It's not okay." She replied through her tears and yet she couldn't help but think that as long as she had his arm wrapped around her then everything was okay. She looked longingly into his eyes. They had so much to sort out between them but the one thing that she needed to make sure of was that he knew how she felt. "I love you." She whispered and looked to see if her words made any impact with him. "I love you more than life itself." She added.

Ryan got lost in her eyes. The tears were beginning to pool in them again and he couldn't help himself. He pulled her back towards him and kissed her gently … trying to reassure her that they would make it through this.

But Marissa needed to show him how she felt. She returned the kiss … but this time it was nothing gentle. This was a kiss that held all the love she had for him and Ryan couldn't help but return it. The passion between them igniting to fever pitch so that by the time they arrived at her floor it was all they could do to make it inside the apartment and to the bedroom. Their clothes were shed along the way. Neither would have been able to tell you who was responsible for what … the fevered haste to get rid of them all blurring into one as they fell naked on to the bed. Marissa was frantic to have Ryan inside her. She needed him to feel complete. Ryan knew on some level that this was wrong. They needed to talk but he didn't have the strength to resist her. She was all he had ever wanted. She lay naked upon the bed her hair strewn across the pillows and her legs wide and as she pulled him into her, his last coherent thought was that he should stop. But he was lost.

Lost within her.


	134. Regrets?

**Regrets?**

Ryan's breathing had not even returned to normal before the guilt invaded his consciousness. What was he doing? Well … he knew what he was doing … there was no question about that … but … there was no doubt that he shouldn't have been doing it. Withdrawing from her he rolled to the side and lay beside her … waiting. What for … he wasn't sure.

Marissa felt him pull out and instantly felt bereft. He lay beside her silently. Not touching her. Their breathing still laboured as they both returned to earth with a thud. If there had been even a skerrick of doubt that what they'd done was wrong … it was removed as soon as he didn't pull her into his arms. Normally he would draw her in to him and cocoon her and they would bask in the afterglow of their love making but not this time. They knew what they'd done was wrong. It felt good for a short while but it didn't fix anything. It was pure escapism. Marissa reached for the sheet to cover herself, suddenly feeling embarrassed. Why? When Ryan knew every square inch of her body probably better than she did herself …. She had no idea. She desperately wanted to cuddle up to him. To have him put his arm around her and pull her close … and tell her that everything was all right. But that wasn't going to happen. There may have been only a few inches between them … but it may as well have been a brick wall.

Ryan waited.

Marissa searched for something to say ... but couldn't find where to start.

The elephant in the room got larger by the minute.

Finally Ryan broke the awkward silence and said. "We need to talk…"

Marissa hesitated. She had no idea where to start, so maybe if he did … "So talk." she said softly.

"Not here. I think we should get dressed and go into the lounge room." Ryan said flatly.

"Why not here?" Marissa asked. At least he was close to her here.

"Because I can't think straight here!" Ryan said exasperated. "When we're here … like this … look what happens." He said admitting his weakness whenever she was around him. He was angry at himself for not being able to resist her in the first place.

"You make it sound like I did this to you deliberately … that you didn't want to … that I forced you …" Marissa started. She knew that she was being unreasonable but on some level she thought that even starting an argument with him was better than having to deal with what was to come.

"You know that's not true." Ryan said hanging his head. "I wanted it just as much as you did … I always do." Ryan added the self-disgust evident in his voice.

Marissa turned to him petrified by the tone of what he'd said as much as the actual words. "Is that so bad?"

Ryan looked at her. "It is when we have so much to sort out." He said. "If we stay here … like this " he indicated their nakedness " … we both know what will end up happening."

"And obviously you don't want that to happen anymore? I'm so sorry I forced you into it." Marissa said cattily. She knew she was being unreasonable and yet she couldn't help herself. She was scared of the alternatives.

"Ris. Please." Ryan said and looked over at her.

Marissa felt her heart break at the plea clearly evident in his eyes. She sat up and put her feet over the side of the bed and meekly said. "Fine." But all she could think was … would it be fine? What was he going to say once he knew the full story? How could she make him understand why she'd done what she'd done?

Ryan watched her as she sat quietly on the side of the bed. His eyes traced the outline of her naked back and all he wanted to do was to pull her back in to him. Wrap her in his arms and hold her close. But he knew that it couldn't happen. Not yet. They had too many issues that they needed to sort out.

He moved to get out of the bed as well and picked up the hastily discarded boxers from the floor and pulled them back on. He grabbed a t-shirt from the chair and made his way to the door and turned to her still sitting naked on the side of the bed. "Would you like a drink?"

"No." she replied as she stood and pulled on one of his wife beaters.

Ryan still stood at the door watching her as she moved. It took every bit of willpower he had not to go and take her in his arms. But he kept re-playing Sandy's words over and over in his head. For them to have any future they needed to sort this out. It would only get more difficult the longer they left it. He turned and walked into the kitchen, getting a bottle of water from the fridge on the way passed and then sat on the sofa waiting for her to join him.

---

Marissa slowly dragged her feet towards what seemed to be awaiting doom. She couldn't read Ryan at all. When he'd showed up downstairs and saved her from the paparazzi she'd felt like everything was going to be all right. But now …. She knew that she owed him an explanation but every time she had tried to compose one in her mind it had sounded so lame. She sat gingerly on the sofa beside him. Not touching but close enough that she could almost sense his nearness. Even that gave her some comfort. She looked ahead. Not wanting to see the condemnation in his eyes. "So where do we start?" she whispered softly.

"How about you tell me about Karl?" Ryan said trying hard to keep the jealousy and bitterness from being evident in his words.

"What about him?' Marissa asked her head hung low.

"I'd like the truth this time. If we have any chance of making this marriage work you need to be honest with me. I may not be perfect … far from it … but I don't believe that I have ever knowingly lied to you."

Marissa's heart broke a little more with every word that he said. Was there a chance that he wanted out of the marriage? Had they come this far only to have her destroy it by her well meant stupidity? She had to get him to understand. She knew what a life without him was like and she couldn't go back there.

She began slowly and softly. Ryan had to lean closer to her just to make out what she was saying. "I've worked with Karl ever since I moved here. And I didn't lie. I have never dated him." She looked up at Ryan and could see the confusion clearly on his face. "But a few times … " she didn't think that she could go on. How do you tell your husband that you lied to him about sleeping with someone else? She knew that Ryan had slept around while they were apart but he had told her honestly and truthfully about it. And he didn't even remember their names. They meant nothing to him. This was different. This was a friend ... a friend that she had sought comfort from … that she hadn't wanted to give up. But that's all he was. A friend …. A friend with benefits.

"Marissa?" Ryan said urging her to continue. "I need to know." He had no idea just what the details were and a part of him was scared to find out. He gathered from what Sasha had said that they'd slept together but how and why were still a mystery to him. And the fact that she'd lied about it made him petrified that the relationship was important to her. Just how important he needed to know. "I need to know all of it."


	135. The explanation

_A/N I hope that you llike this post. It is fairly intense and not the sort of thing that I usually write so I hope that it all hangs together okay. Drama is not my forte but I guess that you'll tell me what you think._

**The explanation**

Marissa glanced at Ryan. She could see the worry and concern written on his face and felt guilty that she was responsible for putting it there. "Promise me that you won't run away?"

"What?" Ryan asked.

"I want you to promise that you will hear me out. If we are going to do this I need to know that you aren't going to take off on me half way through?"

"Why would I ..?" Ryan said sceptically … wondering just how bad what she had to tell him really was.

"You did last night. You didn't even give me a chance to explain." Marissa said now grasping on to the idea that she could make him feel a little guilty about what he'd done as well … rather than everything being her fault. "We could have had this conversation last night."

Ryan saw red. "Sorry. But I think that we should have had this conversation before I even met Karl. As for last night … I'm sorry if I wasn't feeling up to finding out about my wife's … what? … affair … fling … bit on the side … I don't even know what it is … in public. Do you have any idea how I felt? When Sasha told me about you and Karl I defended you. I thought I could trust you. You of all people. The person I wanted to share my life with. And then I find out that you'd lied to me."

Marissa was startled when she heard him use the past tense. "You said 'wanted to share my life with … not want'. Does that you mean you've changed your mind and don't want to anymore?"

"How would I know what I want? I don't even know what went on because you won't tell me. Marissa … whatever it is, it can't be as bad as my insecurities are leading me to believe at this point. Please let's just get it out there. And then we'll try to deal with it."

Marissa knew he was right. She had to try to explain. But where to start? "Where do you want me to start? With what happened or why I didn't tell you?"

"I don't know. I guess I'd like to know exactly what happened first. My imagination has been in overdrive ever since I overheard you talking to him."

"Okay." She looked straight in front of her not wanting to see the condemnation and disappointment in Ryan's eyes that she knew she would find there once she'd revealed everything to him. "As I said … I've worked with Karl ever since I got here. And he has become … a … good friend." Marissa said and was actually aware of Ryan flinching slightly as she said the last words, recalling that she'd used the same phase to introduce Ryan to her friends at work. "But … a few times over the last couple of years when I was feeling down he ended up in my bed." She waited for some reaction from Ryan but got nothing and so continued. "On each occasion we'd all been out together as a group. We never 'dated' as such. I didn't even realise that anyone else knew what had happened until Sasha said something to me just the other day. We would have a few drinks all together and then Karl would volunteer to see me home. And most times that's all he did. He sometimes tried to go further but I was usually not interested. But there were times …" Marissa glanced at Ryan but he wasn't looking at her. She had no idea what was going on in his head. She continued. "How does that old Simon and Garfunkel song go? '_There were times when I was so lonesome, I took some comfort there.'_" She waited for a reaction from Ryan. But when he didn't respond she added. "It meant nothing."

Ryan ran over everything that she'd said in his mind and then commented. "Uh huh. To you maybe. But obviously not to him … from what I overheard." Ryan wanted to believe her but how could he? If that was all there was to it then why wouldn't she have told him in the first place? She knew about his past. Knew what he'd been like. There was no way that he could question her sleeping with someone else when they were apart especially after the way that he'd behaved. What concerned him the most was that she wanted to stay friends with this guy. It was no passing one night stand. She had a relationship with him. Just what form that relationship took he still had no idea. But it was obviously a relationship that she valued. Just how much was the question?

"I can't help what he thought. I can only tell you what I thought." She added.

Ryan nodded. "So … if that's the case then why didn't you tell me?"

"What do you mean 'if that's the case'? Don't you believe me?" she asked.

Ryan ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't know what to believe anymore. If that's all there was to it … then why didn't you tell me in the first place? I can't help but think that there is more to it."

"There isn't. But if I'd told you back at the start … then you wouldn't have even given him a chance. He's important to me. He's not just some faceless body that I slept with like you did." Marissa said hoping that Ryan would back off a bit.

"Right ..." Ryan said the doubt obvious in his tone. "I guess that's the problem isn't it? He obviously IS important to you. So it did mean something ... What exactly does he mean to you? "

"Nothing. He's just a friend from work."

"A friend that you weren't prepared to give up?" Ryan commented.

"I couldn't. I owed him." Marissa replied.

"Owed him for what? It sounds like he got more than enough as payment for the occasional lift home." Ryan stated getting angry because he was sure that she was still keeping something from him and not telling him the full story.

Marissa's head drooped even lower. "I owed him … because I used him." Marissa whispered.

"You used him? It sounds to me like it was the other way around. That he plied you with drinks and then took advantage of you."

"That's exactly why I didn't tell you. Because I knew that you would see it like that and hate him for it. Don't you understand? It wasn't like that. I USED HIM. I'd numbed my life to such an extent that every so often I needed to see if I could still actually feel something. Sure I had a few drinks to take the edge off but I was never drunk. The drinks were just an excuse for me to be able to behave the way I did and not admit to myself exactly what I was doing. But I just needed to feel something. To prove that I still could. But do you really want the honest truth?" she asked.

Ryan nodded. He couldn't help but be scared about what she was going to say but they'd come too far to stop now.

"The reason I feel so bad was because I never felt anything for him. I used him. Sure I'd let him use my body but the rest of me was never there. He must have thought I was the worst fuck in the world because I would lie there like a lump of wood and as he pounded in to me I would close my eyes and try to pretend that it was you. To pretend that I was back in a tiki hut on the beach at Newport and we were making love for the first time. But it never worked. He was nothing like you. And each time it happened, I'd wake up in the morning and be more disgusted with myself than I was the time before. The last time it happened was a few days before I accepted the movie role. I woke up with him in my bed and I knew that I had to do something to change my life. The main reason for coming back to LA was to find out what had happened to you. I needed to either find you or get over you … I couldn't go on the way I was. But I was never interested in Karl. I used his body to try to see if mine was still capable of feeling anything. But it meant absolutely nothing to me. And I didn't want to tell you because I was embarrassed about it, about my behaviour, about the sort of person I'd become. This was supposed to be our honeymoon. I didn't want to ruin it. I didn't want you to know what sort of person you'd married, in case you changed your mind."

Ryan was stunned. He sat for a moment trying to take in everything that she'd said and then he slowly reached over and took her hand in his, linking his fingers with hers and squeezing gently. "I will never change my mind. We're in this together."


	136. Clearing the air

**Clearing the air**

They sat quietly … both going over everything that had been said. It was finally out there and now they would deal with it.

Marissa couldn't take the silence any longer. She hadn't known how Ryan would react. But his fingers now linked with hers and his last words gave her hope. "So you're okay with it?" Marissa asked softly.

Ryan took a moment … trying to find the right words to express all that was going through his mind. "I have no right to question what you did to cope when we were apart. I wish that it had never happened … that we'd never been apart … but I have learnt that I can't go back and change things. You make mistakes …you learn from them and you move on." Marissa started to relax until he started again. "But … I do know that I would have rather you'd told me in the beginning. It would not have hurt nearly as much as it did finding out like I did last night. If we are going to make this work then we have to trust one another. I can't do that if you insist on keeping things from me." he added.

"Don't you trust me?" she asked scared by the tone of his voice.

"Let's just say you gave it a real shake up last night. I didn't know what to think. I had asked you straight out about Karl and yet you still hadn't told me what had happened with him. To find out that he was obviously much more than 'a friend' sure managed to set my insecurities off in to overdrive. I spent the night imagining that you either had made a mistake and didn't want to be married to me or that you did but you wanted to keep him as a bit on the side as well."

Marissa squeezed his hand back, just the reassurance that she got from it making it possible to go on. "It was never anything like that."

Ryan nodded. "But you have to promise not to keep things from me. If we're to have any chance of making this work we have to be open and honest with one another."

Marissa nodded. "Okay. I can do that." She replied softly.

"I know it won't be easy sometimes but it has to happen … I don't see any other way." Ryan said softly.

"It was just a one time thing. It will never happen again." Marissa explained.

"You say that. But if you remember you kept Dan's phone calls from me too. You need to open up to me. We're in this together now. If we deal with things together then maybe we will stay together … as long as that's what you want?" Ryan said his insecurities creeping back again.

Marissa smarted from his words. She did have a pattern of keeping things from him … but she was going to change. She had to change. "Of course it's what I want. I don't want us to end up like my parents. When you left last night … " Marissa didn't know how to finish. " … let's just say that it was the worst night of my life."

"I assure you that mine wasn't any better." Ryan replied.

"So we move on from this. Open and honest." Marissa vowed.

"Open and honest." Ryan repeated and then frowned as something came to mind. Much as he didn't want to bring it up right now, he knew that he couldn't take the risk in Marissa finding out some other way. Especially not after what he'd just said to her. He sighed deeply. "And I guess in view of this new pact of openness I should probably tell you about what happened with me last night rather than take the chance that you'll find out about it some time in the future from someone else."

Marissa felt the chill come over her. What had he done in those hours when they were apart? Had he resorted to his college ways and found a girl to hook up with? Once he'd known that Marissa had been sleeping with Karl did he go out and screw the first female that offered herself to him. She knew that there would have been plenty in the Pigalle district that would have been happy to fuck him senseless. The street walkers there would have been ecstatic to get someone like Ryan as a client. He would have been a cut above their normal clientele. And how could she blame him after what she had done?

Ryan looked at her as the colour washed from her face. "Are you okay?"

Marissa nodded. "Just tell me. I want it over and done with."

"So … your friend Sasha …" Ryan started unsure how to explain exactly what happened. But he knew that he needed to tell her. He didn't want to take the chance that Sasha would make some reference to it and Marissa would have no idea what she was talking about.

Marissa's head spun around to look at him. Sasha? The word was like an arrow that pierced her heart. Had Sasha lied to her? Had she known all along where Ryan had gone to when he'd left the club? And then, after Marissa left, did she follow him and get to have her way with him after all? She wouldn't put it past her. And Sasha had openly told Marissa exactly what she'd like to do with Ryan. That she wanted to fuck him senseless. Had she finally managed to make it happen? Marissa felt sick. It was bad enough to think of Ryan with some faceless woman from the streets but the thought of Ryan and Sasha together was more than she could bear. She wondered if this was how Ryan felt when he'd spent the night thinking of her and Karl together? She felt the nausea build in waves until she could take no more and she suddenly stood up and ran for the bathroom. Ryan followed closely behind and as Marissa emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet bowl he held her hair to one side and gently rubbed her back. All she could think about was Sasha and Ryan together … and the fact that she had caused him to do it. Marissa's lies had enabled Sasha to get her claws into him. She would never forgive herself. Her husband had been unfaithful. But she had driven him to it.

Ryan got out a clean face cloth, rinsed it and passed it to her. "Are you okay?" he asked concerned about her.

Marissa took it from him wiped her face and then sat down on the cold tiled floor and nodded. "Yeah. It wasn't your fault. If I'd been honest in the first place then it would never have happened."

"What are you talking about?" Ryan asked.

"You and Sasha. I can't very well blame you for it… not after you'd found out that I'd been sleeping with Karl." Marissa couldn't go on … the vision in her mind of Ryan and Sasha together threatening to set her off again.

Ryan started to realise just what was going through Marissa's mind. "Wait … You don't think that we … that I … I assure you that I'd never …I'm married … and even if I wasn't … I'd never do that to you."

Marissa looked up at him; his beautiful blue eyes were staring in to hers … the honesty to his words evident in them. "Then what?" she asked bewildered.

"She had a grope of the family jewels. That's all. I was standing at the bar and she came up behind me and slipped her hand inside my jeans. And if you remember I was going commando? I thought it was you and didn't react … well not much anyhow … there some things that I can't control." He smiled. "Then she hugged me from behind and slipped her hand inside the front of my jeans and that's when I realised that it wasn't you but I suspect that she'd already copped a pretty good feel by that point. I got her hand out of there as quickly as I could and told her exactly where she could go. I just didn't want her to make some reference to it sometime in the future and you not know about it."

Marissa sat for a minute picturing it all in her mind. If Sasha ever went anywhere near Ryan again then she'd scratch her eyes out … but then she looked at Ryan and as the relief washed over her that nothing more had happened … she couldn't help it. A small smile started to form as she thought about it and then she started to giggle slightly. "Were you embarrassed?" she asked.

"What do you think?" Ryan replied the blush creeping up his face even now.

"I'd have liked to see that." Marissa replied a smile now firmly on her face.

"Exactly what are we talking about here? Did you want to see me being embarrassed, Sasha copping a feel or just what she was feeling? Because you know that you can see that whenever you like." Ryan smiled happy that she seemed to be okay now.

"That's not exactly true. You made us get dressed before … when all I wanted to do was stay in bed."

"Sorry about that but we needed to have this chat but I see no reason why we can't go back to bed. I think this little discussion is over for now. What say we reconvene the honeymoon activities in our bedroom?" Ryan asked the sparkle back in his eye.

Marissa smiled. Ever since they'd gotten here, Ryan had kept referring to it as HER apartment even though she'd tried to correct him. He had been very quick to share everything that he had … even before they'd gotten married … but he had been reluctant to feel the same way about her things, insisting that she keep them all for herself. This was definitely a step in the right direction. "OUR bedroom?" she queried.

"Your bedroom." Ryan corrected returning the smile. He knew just as well as she did that they had just moved to a new level of understanding and commitment.

Marissa shook her head as she stood up and pulled him behind her. "OUR bedroom." She corrected him yet again and then smiled. "But come on … I need to inspect those family jewels and make sure that Sasha didn't damage them in any way. After all … they are precious." She smirked.


	137. A pleasant surprise

**A pleasant surprise**

Much later they were a naked sweaty ball lying entwined in one another on the bed. After a close 'inspection' of the 'family jewels' (including a 'taste test'), Marissa had insisted on a thorough workout to ensure that there was no unforeseen damage and that everything was still in working order.

"So … any complaints?" Ryan asked as his breathing slowly returned to normal.

Marissa smiled as she finally regained the power of speech. "I may need to do it all again." She panted. "You know … I haven't checked if there has been any damage to your recuperative powers."

Ryan smiled. "I don't think you'll have any complaints with my recuperative powers."

"You never know. We can't know for sure until we've tested them out." Marissa replied.

Ryan disentangled himself from her and laid flat on his back, his legs and arms spread wide. "Test away. But you do realise that I'm starting to feel like some sort of guinea pig."

Marissa ran her fingers over him wondering if she actually had the energy to go again just yet. "I've never thought of you as a guinea pig… although they are pretty cute. I had some as pets when I was little."

"I didn't know that. What happened to them?" Ryan asked.

"Let's just say that they had very healthy sexual appetites and I think that my mother decided that it wasn't such a good idea for Caitlyn and I to sit and watch them at it all day long."

Ryan started to laugh. "So that's where you get all your ideas from?"

Marissa laughed. "You'd better watch out. They also multiplied at a great rate." Marissa teased.

"Sounds good to me." Ryan replied. "Whenever you're ready. You know you only have to say the word."

"But what about the practice?"

"Oh … Don't get me wrong. I enjoy the practice. But I think I could be up for the real thing if required." He smiled.

Marissa moved her hand lower. "Seems your 'up' already."

"Well looks like those recuperatve powers are okay then?" Ryan said as he rolled on top of her only to be interrupted by the tone of his cell phone ringing in the distance.

Marissa didn't want him to move ... at least not from the bed. After the last 24 hours she just wanted this time together. "Leave it." She suggested. "Who ever it is can leave a message."

Much as Ryan didn't want to answer it, he knew that he had to. "I'd better get it." He said as he moved from the bed. "Sandy may have convinced Seth to give me a call. I don't want to take the chance that it's him and he thinks that I'm ignoring him." Ryan said as he made his way back in to the lounge room to look for his jacket that had been hastily discarded earlier.

Marissa wondered why Ryan would be concerned about a phone call from Seth? Couldn't he just call him back? She'd have to ask Ryan when he returned.

---

A few moments later Ryan appeared back at the door way phone in hand as he spoke to whoever was on the other end of the line. Marissa could tell that it wasn't Seth but someone to do with work as he concentrated on what he was saying.

Marissa couldn't help but smile as she ran her eyes over him. He was beautiful … in every sense of the word. And not just in the physical sense … although watching a naked Ryan as he moved about the room you couldn't debate that … to her he was perfect. But it was the inner Ryan that was even more special. And he'd given her another chance. She knew that wasn't easy for him. Because of his family background, Ryan had his own insecurities and trust issues and he still sometimes expected the worst from everyone. She guessed it was just his way of protecting himself.

She knew that she'd been wrong to keep secrets from him and some how she was going to make sure that it never happened again. All she wanted was to spend her life with him. She was not going to put their relationship at risk ever again. He meant too much to her. She knew that she'd shaken his trust in her and caused him to doubt just how much she loved him but somehow she intended to win that trust back. She didn't know how … but it would happen. She had to find a way to make him see that there would never be anyone else for her.

Ryan glanced over at her and smiled. He ran his eyes over her and she instantly felt self conscious as she lay there waiting for him to return. How was it that he could undress you with his eyes when you were already naked? But that's what it felt like. She moved to pull a sheet over her but Ryan quickly crossed the room and took her hand … stopping her. "Okay … I'll see you tomorrow at 10." He said and then closed his phone.

"Who are you seeing tomorrow at 10?" Marissa asked puzzled. She didn't think that he knew anyone in Paris. But then she realised that her words may have sounded like she didn't trust him so she quickly added. "I mightn't let you out of bed before then." to soften her words.

Ryan slipped back on to the bed beside her and pulled her close. "Roger Anderson. He's an English guy that is part of that consortium that I'm working with in Seattle. Apparently he's thinking that he may get involved in something similar here and he wants to get together and talk about it before he goes back to London tomorrow afternoon. He asked us out to dinner tonight but … " He hesitated and smiled at Marissa. "… I'm thinking of not letting you out of the bed … so I said that we'd meet him in the morning for brunch."

"WE? Why do I need to be there?"

Ryan laughed. "So … you're complaining about going out for brunch but not about the fact that I'm planning on keeping you in bed for the rest of the day."

"I wasn't planning on going anywhere anyhow." She replied. "I still have those recuperative powers to test out."

"Test away." Ryan said as he lay back against the pillows waiting for her to take the lead.

Marissa moved to sit astride him and was just beginning to grind in to him when his phone began to ring again. "Way to ruin the mood Atwood." Marissa stated a smile on her face.

"I swear to God … if Annabel has given someone else my number …." He reached for the phone as he looked at the disappointment on Marissa's face. "Hey … it's not like I'm doing the calling. But I'd better get it. It could be Seth. Or ... " Ryan picked up the phone and looked at the caller id. And then turned to Marissa a puzzled expression on his face. ".. it could be Keith?" he said a little perplexed as to why Keith would be calling.

"Well answer it." Marissa said impatiently. "Something might be wrong with Cheryl … or Emily." She said. The thought of something happening to Emily making her feel almost nauseous.

Ryan quickly flicked the phone open and raised it to his ear. He hadn't thought about the fact that Keith was in San Francisco. He just hoped that nothing was wrong.

----

Ryan closed the phone back up and turned to Marissa with a smile from ear to ear.

"What?" Marisa asked impatiently. "What was that about? All you said was okay, sure, no problem, yeah, of course. What's going on?"

Ryan kept smiling. He was delighted with Keith's news and he knew that Marissa would be too. "Keith just wanted to know if it was okay for Cheryl and Emily to move in with him."

"What?" Marissa said her eyes like saucers with surprise.

"Since I supply the apartment as part of his job benefits he thought he should check before he asked them to move in." Ryan explained.

"Do you mean 'move in' move in?" Marissa asked.

"I gather not just yet. For starters they will just be co-habitating. But I'm pretty sure that's where Keith thinks they are heading. Apparently Cheryl has been given the all clear to go home. She will still need further skin grafts but they just want to let her heal for a while before they do anymore. And she was reluctant to return to the family house. Too many memories I guess. She wanted a fresh start somewhere and so Keith thought …" he explained.

"This will be great. She and Emily will be living in the same building as us. They'll be able to come and visit and we'll be able to baby-sit whenever Cheryl and Keith want to go out." Marissa was jumping up and down on Ryan she was so excited.

Ryan laughed at her but then grabbed her by the hips and held her steady. "Whoa there girly. Just be careful what you're jumping up and down on there." He said as he moved her slightly higher to make sure that she didn't cause any damage.

Marissa couldn't contain her excitement. "I told you when we were last in San Fran that there was something going on between them."

"Yes you did Miss Smarty pants. So you get the prize." Ryan said.

"In case you hadn't noticed … I'm actually Miss No pants. But I still want my prize."

"I think that can be arranged." Ryan replied as he lifted her by the hips and brought her back down on top of his hardness. As he thrust in to her all other thoughts disappeared but the need they had for one another.


	138. Who's to blame?

**Who's to blame?**

As Marissa collapsed on top of Ryan totally spent his phone started to ring again. She looked at him as he tried to come back to earth and smiled. It was good to know that she could have the same effect on him as he had on her. "At least it didn't ring a minute earlier." She panted.

"True." He panted in reply. "But a few minutes later would have been even better." He said as he reached for the phone again thinking that this time it must be Seth. Looking at it, he hesitated, wondering whether to answer or not.

"Who is it? Why don't you answer?" Marissa asked.

"It's Annabel ..." he replied as he dropped his hand back down on to the bed, the phone still firmly in his grasp. "I really want to give her a piece of my mind. I figure that she's the one that has revealed to the press about our marriage and caused that mayhem downstairs. But right now …" he indicated the state he was in. "I don't think I have the strength to do it."

Marissa felt sick. She knew that she had to tell him that it was probably her fault that the press knew … but she didn't want to upset the mood between them. Things were going so well. After everything that had happened in the last 24 hours she didn't want to disappoint him yet again. She panicked trying to think of something … anything to delay the inevitable. "Why … why do you think it was Annabel?" she asked.

Ryan waited for the call to go to voicemail and then put the phone back down thinking that he'd call her back later when he'd composed himself. He turned to Marissa. "Well … unless I'm a very bad judge of character … our friend back in Las Vegas is much too greedy to put at risk the thought of a big bonus from me. I don't think that he would have said anything. And Keith's been much too busy with Cheryl and Emily. Plus … if he had let something slip then he would have said so. He wouldn't have been asking could they move in to the apartment together … he would have been asking for forgiveness. And then that just leaves you and me. So it must have been her. I have no idea why but? I can't see what she thinks she can gain by it? I'm pretty disappointed actually. She'd been doing so well in my absence. I had actually been considering giving her a promotion when I got back …some more responsibility … but I guess that can't happen. If I can't trust her then I'll have to get rid of her. It's a shame. I thought that if I could hand over a few things to her when we got home then we'd be able to spend more time together … that I wouldn't have needed to be in the office quite so much … but I guess not."

Marissa felt sick. She knew that she had to tell him but every word he said only seemed to make it more difficult. "Is it that bad that the truth's out there? I mean … it had to happen sometime."

"Sure. And part of me is happy that now everyone will know. Maybe all the problems with Karl and Sasha could have been avoided if they'd realised that we were married. But if you'd heard Seth … I mean I knew that he wouldn't be happy but I never imagined …"

"Seth knows?" Marissa asked stunned. She rolled off Ryan and lay flat on her back looking at the ceiling. This was getting worse and worse. She wondered how the information had gotten as far as LA in such a short amount of time.

"Oh yeah. He called me just as I was walking out of the club earlier."

"What were you doing back at the club?" Marissa asked.

"When I left last night I left my jacket there with my phone in the pocket." Ryan explained.

"So that's why you didn't answer when I called you?"

"Uh huh." Ryan replied. Although he suspected that he may not have answered anyway. He had needed the time to himself to think everything through.

"So what happened with Seth? Did you decide to tell him after all?" Marissa asked hoping that the answer would be yes. Then at least they would both be responsible for the news being out there.

"No. He already knew. Well … he didn't actually know. He rang to tell me that he'd had a phone call asking were we married. At first, he thought that it was ridiculous that the press would make up a story like that about us. …but … I had to tell him that it was the truth." Ryan went quiet as the memory of the conversation came back to him. "I couldn't lie to him." Ryan explained.

Marissa nodded. She knew that Ryan didn't have it in him to lie.

Ryan went on quietly as the memory of his conversation came to mind. "He … he … couldn't believe that we would go ahead and get married without them." He said sadly.

"Did you explain …" Marissa went to ask only to be interrupted.

"I tried … but he didn't want to listen. He hung up on me in disgust. He wouldn't even give me a chance."

"But surely he'll be okay with it. It's just been a bit of a surprise." Marissa suggested.

"I think it was a little more than 'a bit of a surprise'. Even Sandy didn't take the news so well."

"Sandy knows too?" Marissa asked even more surprised.

"Yeah. I called him and told him. I figured that once Seth knew that it was only a matter of time before he told his parents and that being the case then it would be better if they heard it from me. Apparently they'd been getting calls from reporters anyhow."

"How did he take it?" Marissa asked.

Ryan shrugged. "There's no doubt that he was disappointed that we hadn't included them. He basically accused me of rushing things."

They both lay there silently the words running through their minds. Had they? There was no doubt that they wanted to be together. But they still seemed to be able to hurt one another. Maybe they should have taken more time to clear things up between them. They still had a lot of issues from their past that they hadn't even mentioned let alone talked about. But maybe they were better left in the past. Nothing could change them now.

"I'm going to have a lot of begging and scrapping to do when we get back." Ryan explained. "I really have no idea how I can make it up to them. Right now I'm not sure whether it is good or bad that we are on the other side of the world. Part of me would like to be there so that I could try to explain … but then part of me is just hoping that by the time we get back they will be over the initial shock and that they'll be able to understand."

Marissa still said nothing. The thought that her slip had caused problems for Ryan and the people that he cared most about in the world only making it even harder for her to come clean and tell him about her part in all of it. But she knew that she had to do it. After everything that they'd just been through … she had to come clean and tell him the truth.

Ryan sensed her uneasiness and tried to lighten the mood. "I have a terrible feeling that if we were in L.A. then Seth would have had a rage blackout on me. He's probably been taking lessons from Summer."

At the mention of Summer's name, Marissa felt even worse. To say that they'd ended their last conversation on a bad note would be putting it mildly. How had things gotten so bad in such a short amount of time? She couldn't help but think that if she hadn't lied to Ryan in the first place about Karl, then all of this could have been avoided. It was up to her to make it better. But how was she going to do that when she doubted that Summer would even talk to her.

Marissa thought about what would be the best way to attack this. Should she tell him it was her and then try to explain why she said it … or should she try to explain what happened after he left the club and then after he realised just how upset she was then maybe he wouldn't mind when she told him that she'd revealed it to Sasha and Karl. She couldn't decide which way to tackle it but she knew she needed to find the words to explain to Ryan what went on. Just as she went to open her mouth her phone rang.

Ryan laughed. "Well … at least it's not mine this time. Maybe Seth gave up on mine because it was always busy and is calling on yours instead."

Marissa smiled in return. She couldn't help but feel that she had been saved by the bell. She moved off the bed to retrieve her phone from her bag on the floor. Checking the caller id she quickly answered it with a puzzled look on her face.

Ryan watched Marissa as the expression on her face changed. Her face quickly went from one of pleasure to one of … he wasn't sure exactly what it was … but it definitely wasn't good. Marissa was saying very little but she was obviously upset by what ever was being said. He was sure that he could see tears welling in her eyes and yet he could tell from her tone of voice that she didn't want to let on that what ever was being said was hurting her. She glanced at him and then quickly looked away as if she was embarrassed. He had no idea what was going on but he couldn't wait for her to get off the call so that he could find out what the problem was.

And then it hit him.

Had something happened to Julie? Dan had said that she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Had she finally gone over the edge? And could Ryan have prevented it? He should have never agreed to keep Julie's condition from Marissa. He'd already decided earlier … after his talk with Marissa about being open and honest … that he would have to tell her. But he had thought that he would do Dan the service of calling him first and explain why he was going to have to break his promise and tell his wife. He had no intention of there ever being any secrets between them ever again. But was it all too late? And what would Marissa say once she knew that he'd been aware of the state that her mother was in?

Would she ever be able to forgive him?


	139. Her confession

_A/N Just thought I should let you all know that my posts may be a little erratic over the next couple of weeks. I'm on holidays and I'm going away for a few days here and there but please keep reading and reviewing and I'll post when I can._

**Her Confession**

Marissa closed up the phone and sat silently on the end of the bed going over everything that had been said. She knew she was over-reacting and yet she couldn't help it. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before in her life. And the simple fact was … she couldn't fight back. She had created the monster herself.

Ryan waited for her to say something … anything. When she didn't … he moved to the end of the bed to sit beside her and gently wrapped his arm around her pulling her close. He didn't know exactly what had happened but he knew that was ever it was it had upset her. He swallowed the lump in his throat waiting for her to tell him what was wrong. He pulled the blanket off the bed and wrapped it around them both cocooning them.

Marissa laid her head on his shoulder taking comfort from his nearness. She didn't want to have to tell him what the call had been about. She was embarrassed. How would he look at her once he knew? He was so successful. Would he think that she was a failure?

Ryan could take the silence no more. If it was about Julie then he needed to know. Hell even if it wasn't about Julie, he needed to know. Anything that could cause such a sudden change in Marissa was important. "Ris? I gather it wasn't Seth?" Ryan said softly trying to lessen the tension that had suddenly invaded the room.

Marissa shook her head.

"Who was it then?" Ryan asked. Marissa obviously wasn't keen to talk about it so he was going to have to draw it out of her bit by bit. But if that's what it took then he'd happily spend the rest of the day and night doing it.

Marissa took a deep breath and answered. "Claudine."

"Who?" Ryan asked. He had no idea who Claudine was.

"She's the director of the fashion show at Chanel. That's where I was today … at the rehearsal for the show next week." Marissa explained, her voice flat. She hoped that he would leave it at that. She didn't want to have to reveal anymore to him.

Ryan didn't know whether to be relieved or not. The call obviously wasn't about Julie. But then whatever it was about still had upset Marissa "I'm sorry. I don't understand. What did she say that has upset you so much?"

"It doesn't matter." Marissa said and tried to shrug off his arm and change the subject. "Let's get back to what we were doing." she said running her hands over his naked body.

Ryan took her hands in his and stopped their movement. He couldn't think of anything but making love to her when she did that and he knew that there was more to the call than she was letting on. "Uh uh. What's the rest of it?"

Marissa looked up and stared guiltily into his eyes.

"Come on … remember … open and honest." Ryan said and instantly felt guilty himself. He was going to have to call Dan as soon as possible and tell him that he was going to reveal everything to Marissa about Julie. He hated the feeling of keeping something from her ... especially when he was trying to encourage her to do the opposite. He felt like such a hypocrite.

Marissa dropped her hands back into her lap and looked at him resignedly. She knew that she needed to tell him. It wasn't as if she was going to be able to keep it from him. He'd know soon enough anyhow. "You know that you said a while ago that you wouldn't mind if I didn't have a job?"

"Uh huh. But you insisted that you wanted to be financially independent." Ryan said smiling as he remembered the conversation. She had been adamant that she didn't want to end up like her mother, desperate for money and prepared to do anything to get it. And try as he might, Ryan couldn't get through to her that she would never be like Julie.

She waited a moment trying to compose herself. "Well I may not have the choice anymore."

"What?" Ryan didn't understand what she was trying to say.

Marissa turned to him and said straight out. "I was just sacked. They don't want me anymore."

Truthfully Ryan couldn't care less but he could see what the news had done to Marissa. "That's all right. I want you. And it means that we get to spend more time together." He said trying to make her feel better.

"How could you want me? You're smart and intelligent and rich and successful. I'm …" Marissa didn't know how to finish. She's always felt a little embarrassed that she'd never gone to college like her friends. But while she'd been able to command huge modelling fees it hadn't seemed to matter quite so much … but now … this made it even worse. "I've never been sacked before in my life."

"Well how stupid are they? But their loss is my gain." Ryan said and tried to laugh. "You said earlier that they sent you home because you were having trouble concentrating. Now you'll be able to concentrate on me full time."

Marisa looked at him and had to smile. She knew that he was trying to make her feel better and it just made her love him more if that was even possible. "Well you were the reason that I couldn't get anything right this morning." She teased. "So I guess that it is all your fault."

"All my fault? I don't think that I was the one running into people and tripping them up?" he smiled hoping to help to change her mood. "But did they really sack you because of that? Surely you've worked with them enough that they must know that you aren't usually like that? I think that they are being a little unfair. Where's their loyalty?" Ryan asked not liking the fact that they had caused Marissa to feel so bad about herself. He'd never thought that she had low self – esteem but something like this surely couldn't help.

Marissa hung her head. She may as well get it all out there now. "It wasn't just me messing up this morning. Although I'm sure that didn't help. But apparently they just had a press conference about the new line and …." She hesitated wondering how was the best way to tell him.

"And ..?" Ryan asked. "And what? No one turned up so they are cutting costs and had to let you go?"

Marissa shook her head. "The exact opposite. Apparently it was bedlam. Besides all the fashion press it appears that all the gossip columnists turned up as well. And every question was about you and me. No matter how hard they tried to turn the conversation back on to the clothes it just went straight back to us again. That's the main reason why they don't want me. If I turn up for the parade next week then they believe that the same thing will happen. That no one will take any interest in the clothes. And that's the whole reason for the parades. Claudine said that they may contemplate using me again in the future but it will be a long way off ... after all of this has died down."

Ryan was stunned. He hadn't imagined that their getting married would cause these sorts of problems for Marissa. "So help me … I think that I'd better call Annabel right now and tell her just what she has done. I know that it means that we'll have to cut the trip short but it seems that we have no more reason to be here anyhow if all you work commitments are over. I'll tell her to clear out her things and we'll go back to LA tomorrow." He thought for a moment. "Or do you think that I should just wait to tell her in person? If we fly home tomorrow then I could do it on Monday morning. I guess that nothing much is going to happen over the weekend anyhow?"

Marissa shook her head from side to side. She was going to have to tell him. She couldn't put it off any longer. It wasn't fair that Annabel should be blamed for something that she didn't do.

Ryan looked at her. "What's wrong? You think that I should just tell her over the phone? I'd probably rather tell her in person. It won't be pleasant but I think that it's the right thing to do." Ryan explained.

Marissa shook her head again. She didn't know where to start.

"What? You don't want to go home yet? I understand that but I can't very well leave her there running everything after what she's done."

"She didn't do it." Marissa said softly.

Ryan looked at her puzzled. Did Marissa know more about this than she was letting on?

"I think … I think … " Marissa looked at him and their eyes held for a moment and then she dropped her head and looked at her fingers that were clutched together. "I think that it's all my fault." She explained.

Ryan sniggered. "Don't be silly. How can it be your fault?" he asked.

Marissa looked back at him and said. "Last night … at the club … after you left … I told Sasha and Karl."

"What? Why?" Ryan was incredulous.

Marissa shrugged. "I don't know it just sort of came out. Sasha kept going on and on about the fact that I should hang around and find another guy because you wouldn't want anything more to do with me and I guess I just wanted her to shut up. I tried to make her understand that I didn't want anyone but you and I just … I had to make her understand why you were so special to me and I …. It just came out."

Ryan sat there stunned.

"Karl brought me home but I have no idea what happened to Sasha. I guess that maybe she told someone." Marissa explained.


	140. Marissa plans her surprise

**Marissa plans her surprise**

"I guess so." Ryan commented.

Marissa looked at him trying to gauge just what effect her words had had on him but she couldn't read him at all. "I'm sorry. I know that I should never have said anything … but at the time … I just …" she shrugged. She felt like she had let him down ... in more ways than one. Would he now be regretting having married her? Would he think that he couldn't confide in her because she couldn't keep anything to herself? Marissa started to panic. Why wouldn't he say anything? She looked at him but he was looking straight ahead and out of the window of the room … seemingly staring into space. How could she know what was going through his mind? She couldn't take it anymore. "Ryan?"

He jumped at her request and then turned to look at her.

"Can you forgive me?" she asked.

He could see the worry and doubt in her eyes. She was scared. "There's nothing to forgive." He shrugged. "Maybe I wish that you hadn't revealed it to them and maybe I wish that we'd never tried to keep it a secret in the first place. I just don't know."

"So you don't regret marrying me?" Marissa asked.

Ryan looked at her astonished. "Never. Maybe I don't always make the best choices but I know that one was the right one." He smiled and then shrugged.…"I guess that if we'd been honest about it all in the first place and you'd introduced me as your husband then maybe things would have turned out differently. I don't know. What I do know is that we have to stop constantly worrying what the other one is going to think. Don't ever doubt me or my love for you. Nothing will ever change that. We can work through anything as long as we do it together." He said and bent to kiss her sweetly.

Marissa returned the kiss chastely at first and then with passion, her tongue slipping inside his mouth. She knew this was the start of a new beginning for them. There were no more secrets. A huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She'd told him. He knew it all and he still loved her. She pushed him back on to the bed and moved on top of him … Her need for him blanking out everything else.

Ryan ran his hands over her body … the lust she'd awoken clearly evident in his eyes. He moved his hand between her legs and gently played with her until Marissa could take no more. She needed him inside her and so she rolled over and pulled him on top of her …. As he thrust into her she moaned with pleasure. She knew that she would never have enough of this … of him. Ryan moved within her over and over while his hands made love to the rest of her body until she cried out in ecstasy and then he let himself go and collapsed into her arms. It was quite sometime later before Marissa thought to say. "So you don't mind that everyone now knows?"

Ryan grimaced. He really didn't want to talk about it anymore. He was just enjoying the aftermath of making love with his wife. But he knew that he needed to answer. He rolled off her and pulled her in with his arm to rest her head on his shoulder and answered. "Part of me is happy that is all out in the open … but … I'm sorry about the problems that it is causing between me and the Cohen's. I owe them my life. I can't imagine what would have happened to me if they hadn't taken me in and somehow I feel like I have betrayed them in the worst possible way by not including them in the most important thing that's ever happened to me. If you had heard the disappointment in Seth and Sandy's voices … and I can't imagine that Kirsten would have been any better … probably worse. I guess maybe it wasn't such a great idea."

Marissa felt guilty that she had caused all this. "So … you are having second thoughts?"

Ryan shook his head. "No. Not about marrying you. Don't ever think that." He said and pulled her closer to him. "But I know that I've hurt them and I just don't know how I am going to make it better."

Marissa tried to think of something that she could do that could help to patch things up. "Maybe if I say that it was all my idea? That you wanted to wait but that I pushed you into it."

Ryan smiled and kissed her gently on the forehead. "I don't need you to lie for me. If anybody did any pushing it was me. I was the impatient one."

"Well it doesn't really matter now. I was happy to go along with it as well so we are both to blame." Marissa said.

"I refuse to think of our marriage as a mistake that someone needs to be blamed for. We love each other and we got married and they are just going to have to understand and deal with it." Ryan said firmly and then softened as he thought about his family back home. "Eventually."

"So does this mean that we don't have to go back just yet? We've still got 2 weeks left before we were supposed to return. If Annabel is coping then couldn't we stay a bit longer? Whatever we have to face with the Cohen's isn't going to change much in 2 weeks." Marissa suggested.

Ryan shrugged. "I guess so. Maybe it would be best if I left them for a little while to cool down and get over the shock."

"Good. Because I have a little surprise planned for you."

"A surprise?" Ryan pulled back. "What?"

"I can't tell you … otherwise it wouldn't be a surprise." Marissa replied.

"What happened to open and honest?" Ryan asked.

"That doesn't include good surprises." Marissa assured him.

Ryan thought for a moment. "Do I need clothes?" Ryan asked a mischievous gleam in his eye.

"Yes you will." Marissa laughed.

Ryan looked crestfallen.

"But not for all the time." She teased and he brightened up. "But it's not going to happen right now. I have to make a few phone calls to set it all up. Why don't you go and rustle up something for us to eat and leave me alone to make my calls." She said pushing Ryan off the bed and towards the door.

Ryan rather liked the idea of having a little time to himself. He could call Dan and tell him that he intended to reveal what was going on with Julie to Marissa. He knew that there was no way that he would be able to go to sleep that night until he had cleared everything up with her. He wanted a clean slate. "Okay. But this better be worth it." He said as he pulled on some boxers and a t-shirt. "What do you want to eat?" he asked.

"Surprise me." Marissa replied and then looked at Ryan who glanced over at her. There eyes connected and the sparks flew. She laughed, breaking the moment. "No … not that … that can be dessert. I really need food. The cup of coffee this morning seems a long time ago."

Ryan smiled. "How about one of my famous omelettes?"

"Mmmm. Sounds good."

"Okay. But you owe me." Ryan said as he moved to the door of the bedroom.

"Put it on my bill." Marissa suggested.

Ryan hesitated. "You do know that without a job you won't be able to pay this bill off?"

Marissa smiled. "So what happens then?"

"Well I'll have to charge you interest of course." He replied a sparkle in his eye.

"I'm interested to hear about this interest." Marissa replied.

"I assure you that I'm interested too. And I'll be back to collect." He said as he smiled and left the room.

---

Marissa quickly called James and he assured her that he would call her back as soon as he checked everything out. She got out of bed and pulled on one of Ryan's t-shirts and then moved to the bathroom to brush her hair. She looked in the mirror and smiled. It seemed that their activities had turned it in to a wanton mess ... and the rest of her matched. Her lips were full and pouty …. no doubt from the passion of their kisses … her cheeks were rosy and she had a post-coital glow that made it obvious that she had been well and truly shagged. She smiled. What was it about Ryan that made her want to stay this way forever? She hoped that she would look this way a lot more often … now that they had everything out in the open between them. She looked down at her toes and couldn't help but think of the phrase barefoot and pregnant. The idea was starting to appeal to her more and more. She wasn't quite ready to tell Ryan about it just yet. But as the walls fell between them and they got closer and closer the thought of having his child growing inside her was becoming more and more appealing. Sure she wanted to go back and go to college but couldn't she do that while she was pregnant? She needed to talk to him about it but she knew that he would love the idea. She would only need to say the word.

She heard her phone ringing and thinking that it was James calling back she quickly moved to answer it but when she got to it, she looked at the caller id and stopped dead. It was the last person she expected. What should she do? If she ignored it … would they get the message and stop calling or would they just call back again? Why were they calling anyhow? And what would Ryan say if he knew? Her mind was in complete turmoil as she tried to decide. The phone continued to ring and she knew that she had to make a decision but what? If she answered … what should she say? She thought about calling Ryan and getting him to take it but she knew that was the coward's way out. Her hand hesitated for a moment longer and then before she had time to think again she quickly answered. "Hello?"

There was silence at the other end for a moment and then she heard a voice say. "Marissa?"


	141. Ryan's confession

_A/N It's an hour from Christmas Day here and I thought I'd leave a Christmas gift for all my lovely readers. I hope you all have a safe, happy and healthy Christmas. I'm going away for a few days but this is a extra long post and I'll post again as soon as I get back. Have a good one!_

**Ryan's confession**

Ryan was chopping up peppers and mushrooms for the omelettes when he heard the phone ring. He panicked for a moment thinking that it was Dan calling back to try to get him to change his mind and keep his confidence but then realising that Dan would have called his cell … he relaxed again. The first thing that Ryan had done when he'd left the bedroom had been to call Dan but the call had gone straight to voicemail. Ryan had left him a message telling him of his intentions to reveal everything to Marissa. He had apologised but said that there was no other way. He refused to keep something like this from his wife any longer.

He had to admit to himself that he was quite happy that Dan hadn't answered. He suspected that they may have disagreed about what Ryan intended to do. But this way, it would probably be all over before Dan even knew about it. Ryan intended to tell Marissa just as soon as they had eaten. He was just about to stop what he was doing and clean up his hands to answer the phone when he heard it stop ringing and assumed that Marissa had picked it up. He smiled and continued what he was doing gathering together the rest of the ingredients for the omelettes and wondering to himself just what Marissa's surprise was. No doubt that was what the phone call was about. His smile widened as he thought about this new level of togetherness and understanding that they finally seemed to have reached. He couldn't wait to tell Marissa about Julie and finally have everything out in the open between them.

---

"Yes." She said flatly.

"Please don't hang up on me." Julie asked.

"I'm not even sure why I answered." Marissa replied. "What do you want?" she asked … her anger at her mother threatening to boil over.

"I … I …. " now that she had her daughter on the phone … Julie really had no idea what to say. After all this time she hadn't really dared to believe that Marissa would actually answer. "I wanted to see how you were going?"

"I'm better than ever." Marissa replied … venom in her voice. "But are you trying to tell me that you really care?" Marissa asked … the disbelief clearly evident in her voice.

Julie recoiled from the tone in Marissa's words and then meekly replied. "Yes … I do. You know I do."

"No I don't. You let me go through years of misery and depression that you'd created all on your own … and you never said a word. How can I ever believe that you care for anyone other than yourself?"

Julie flinched. She knew that she probably deserved everything that Marissa said but some how or other she wanted to make things right between them. Marissa was her only daughter. She couldn't imagine the rest of her life without her. "I … I … do care."

"Maybe you do …" Marissa replied dejectedly … the wind suddenly going out of her sails. Her mother wasn't worth getting upset about. " … just not as much as you care about yourself."

Julie didn't know what to say to that. How should she respond? She tried to change the subject "I'm pleased to hear that everything is going well. You must have the Chanel parades next week." She commented … hoping that talking about something that they had both been a part of for the last few years would make Marissa realise that they still had a connection … and a lot in common.

"Actually I don't." Marissa smiled. She instantly knew that she was going to enjoy this. "I was sacked."

"You what? Why?" Julie asked astonished. Marissa had done the Chanel parades for a few years now. She was one of their favourite models. What had she done for them to sack her?

"But it doesn't matter." Marissa smirked … thinking … this will be fun. "But then why do I need to work? You see you taught me well. I have a rich husband to support me. Isn't that what you always wanted for me?" Marissa asked.

Julie felt like she'd be punched in the stomach as the full realisation of what Marissa said sunk in. "So it's true?"

Marissa smiled. She could tell from her mother's tone just how she had taken the news. "What?" Marissa asked a huge smile making its way onto her face.

"You and …." Julie started.

"Ryan. Mom. His name is Ryan. And I love him … More than life itself. I always have. But then you knew that."

Julie didn't know how to respond. She'd guessed that in some ways she had been expecting it. But the full realisation of not just the fact that Marissa was married to Ryan but also that her only daughter had gotten married without her … just made her realise how bad things were between them.

"Are you still there?" Marissa asked pleasantly. She knew she held all the trumps in this discussion and she intended to make her mother pay.

"Yes. I'm here." Julie answered. There was a long pause and then she added. "I … I guess I should congratulate you?"

Marissa sniggered. "I'd rather you didn't. Because I know that you don't mean it. I suppose that you'll be jealous of me now. I have a gorgeous husband who is not only wealthy but loves me as well." Marissa taunted.

"Marissa … You know I only wanted what was best for you."

"And that would be your version of 'best'. Would it? Save it mom for someone who might believe you. Do you want to hear about my version? The version that has always had Ryan and I together."

"I … I … " Julie stuttered. "If you are going to be so horrible to me then why did you even answer the phone?" Julie asked.

---

Once he'd beaten up the eggs and was about to start cooking, Ryan decided that he'd better find out exactly what Marissa wanted in hers. He moved to the door of the bedroom surprised to see that she was still on the phone. He hesitated for a moment thinking that she may have been still organising his 'surprise' and not wanting to spoil it. But he couldn't help but overhear. He stopped dead and smiled listening to her words.

---

"Because I thought I should give you a chance to make things right. Or maybe I should correct that and say that I knew that … for whatever reason … Ryan would want me to give you a chance. You see mom … since we've been together I have stuffed up and let him down … a number of times … and yet I'm still here. I needed him to give me a chance to make things right and he did. And guess what … he still loves me. That's what true love is all about. So I thought that I should give you a chance. But that's not really what you want is it? You want everything your own way. You always have."

"I can change." Julie said knowing that if she didn't think of something quickly that she could lose her daughter for good.

"You have to want to. You have to be sorry for what you've done wrong." Marissa replied.

"I am." Julie stated plainly.

"Not just sorry that you were caught." Marissa added.

Julie nodded and then realising that Marissa couldn't see she added. "Just give me a chance."

There was a period of silence and Marissa looked up to see Ryan standing at the door of the bedroom. She tried to read his expression wondering if their dinner was ready but it was as if he was holding his breath in expectation.

"Okay. I can't promise anything …. But … we'll see. But I have to go now my dinner's ready. Think about what I said and I'll call you in a few days." Marissa said and hung up. She looked over at Ryan puzzled by his expression. "Is dinner ready?"

"No not yet." He said. He had been going to wait until after they ate to tell her about her mother but in light of the situation he knew that there was no time like the present. He moved to sit beside her on the bed and took her hand in his. "Do you have any more of those chances to spare? I think that I need one."

---

Marissa sat running through everything that Ryan had said. She knew that he was waiting nervously to see her reaction but she couldn't work out why? He had asked for her forgiveness. But as far as she was concerned there was nothing to forgive.

Dan had asked him to keep the details of Julie's depressed state from Marissa and Ryan had done that for him. All because Dan had insisted that Julie would not want pity. How could she blame Ryan for that? If anything she was glad that he had. If she'd known about her mother then it would have just put extra pressure on Marissa to try to make contact with her. And she knew that she hadn't been ready to do that until today. It wasn't until now, when she and Ryan had opened up completely to one another … that she had felt strong enough to deal with her. Marissa now knew that nothing her mother did could come between them. Before this she would have always had her concerns.

Noticing Ryan still sitting quietly beside her, wringing his hands and tense … obviously waiting for some reaction from her, she gently placed her hand on the side of his face and turned it towards her so that his eyes met her own. She smiled softly and said. "I love you ... I love everything about you. I love that you were a man of your word to Dan and didn't tell me about my mother. But I also love the fact that now … when we have laid all our cards on the table … you chose to tell me … but not until you had told Dan of your intentions. You are a man of honour Ryan Atwood and I am privileged to be your wife." She said and kissed him softly.

Ryan smiled. He couldn't believe that she would forgive him so easily. "So … you don't mind?" he asked … still puzzled by her reaction. It was better than anything that he'd ever hoped for.

"I can see the awkwardness of the situation that you were put in. A lesser man would have taken the easy way out and told me. But you kept you word. Even when it caused problems between us because I was unhappy about you talking to Dan and trying to convince me to talk to my mother … you still didn't crack and take the easy way out."

"I have to admit … when we were on our way to Las Vegas and you kept pulling away from me … I was wondering why I had ever agreed to Dan's request. I wanted to tell you so badly."

Marissa smiled thinking back to the frostiness that had existed between them. Thank goodness it hadn't lasted for more than a day. But all this had done was prove, yet again, that Ryan was a man of his word ... a man to be trusted. And somehow she was going to win back his trust that she had so severely dented by not telling him earlier about her situation with Karl. "It doesn't matter now. It's finally all out in the open. I've spoken to my mother. We've taken the first tiny steps in … " Marissa hesitated trying to find the right word. " … maybe " she qualified her statement "not a reconciliation … but maybe … being able to maintain a connection … but I'm not guaranteeing anything. …AND she knows that we're married. She even congratulated us." Marissa commented.

Ryan looked at her surprised and she burst out laughing and added. "Yeah I know. I'm not too sure how sincere she was … but she did it. The words came out of her mouth … maybe not from her heart ... but definitely out of her mouth. Unfortunately, with my mother, the two are not necessarily connected."

Ryan smiled. "I can only imagine how hard that must have been for her. She obviously is trying to make amends." Ryan suggested.

"I think you may be reading a little too much into it. I suspect that the call was more a spy mission to find out if the rumours were true. But it will give her something to stew over for the next few days."

"So … you are going to keep in contact with her?" Ryan asked.

"I'm not sure. I'll take it a day at a time." She shrugged. "If you'd asked me this morning what my plans were for today then I would never have imagined that I would have been going to speak to my mother. When I realised who was on the phone I very nearly didn't answer. But some things in life just happen when you least expect it. I knew that you would want me to speak to her and I guess that was what made me pick up the phone in the first place." Marissa said glancing at him to see the effect of her words. She knew that she had done it for him but at the same time she didn't want him to think that he had forced her into it. She'd just felt strong enough to do it. The time was right. "And I'm sort of glad that I did answer. I guess the ice has been broken … but we have a long way to go before she's likely to get back on my Christmas Card List." Marissa smiled. "Whereas … you …" she kissed him and pushed him so that he was lying back on the bed. "are at the very top of the list."

Ryan returned the kiss with passion … things between them heating up yet again until he pulled back and took a deep breathe and said "What about the omelettes?"

"Suddenly … not so hungry." Marissa said as she moved to take his lips again. She kissed him passionately and then added. "At least not for food … something else … or should I say someone else … has awakened a different kind of hunger in me." she added.

"Can I be of assistance?" Ryan asked between kisses.

Marissa hesitated. "Is the kitchen going to catch on fire if we don't make it out there for a while?"

"No. I hadn't started cooking yet. It's all laid out ready to go." Ryan replied.

Marissa smiled and then slipped her hand inside his boxers taking his hardness in her hand. "Speaking of 'ready to go'" she said.

"If you keep doing that … "Ryan smiled as she slipped the boxers from his hips and moved down to take him in her mouth. He hesitated as the waves of pleasure washed over him …he smiled and continued. "then I'll be the one on fire. Forget about the kitchen." He said as the last conscious thought left his brain to be replaced by nothing but thoughts of Marissa.

---

Saturday morning, Marissa couldn't get rid of Ryan quickly enough.

"Should I be offended by how much you are trying to get rid of me?" he asked as she herded him out the door.

"No. I just have a lot of things to do and I can't do them while you're still here." She said and then added. "You distract me." to soften her words.

"But you were invited to brunch as well. Why don't you come with me?" he asked.

Marissa sighed frustrated. They'd had this conversation a number of times already. "Because I have too many other things to do. Would you please just leave. The cab will be waiting downstairs to take you and I'll be there to collect you at 2."

"Okay I guess." Ryan said leaning in for a kiss. "But you don't have to come and get me. I can just get a cab back here."

"Uhuh" Marissa shook her head. "That wouldn't do at all. There will be paparazzi camped out here all day I imagine. If we leave separately and a few hours apart then I figure that we have at least some chance of getting out of here without being followed. I'll come and get you when you've finished and then we can go from there."

"Go where?" Ryan asked.

Marissa just smiled. "I can't tell you. It's all part of the surprise." She kissed him again and pushed him out the door. "Now just go! I'll see you at 2."

Ryan smiled as he made his way to the lift but then decided to take the stairs. He was too excited to stand still for too long and the thought of waiting for the lift seemed tiresome. He had no idea what Marissa's surprise was all about but he knew that he couldn't wait. Whatever it was it would be good … because he would be spending time with her. That was all he ever needed.

---

Marissa quickly sat back down and wrote out a list. She had a number of calls to make and a lot to do and only a few hours to achieve it in and make it all happen. Hopefully James and Emma would have their part under control for the first surprise. But even though it would be fun … it was just to get Ryan off the scent. What she needed to do was organise the second surprise. The one that she hoped that he would never see coming. After completing her list she reached for the phone. First things first. She knew that she was being overly optimistic thinking that everything would come together but she'd just start at the top and work down … and keep her fingers crossed. For some reason … now that they had opened up to one another … she truly believed that everything was going to go their way for a change. Surely it was about time? Wasn't it?


	142. Marissa's plan takes shape

_A/N I hope that everyone had a great Christmas. I'm home for a couple of days and then I'm off again for New Year. Hope your all having fun over the festive season._

**Marissa's plan takes shape**

Skip frowned as he reached for his phone. He was running late to go and collect Cait and he didn't need something else to hold him up. "Yep?"

"Skip?" Marissa asked … not sure if she had actually managed to find and copy the right number from Ryan's phone and unfortunately he hadn't said enough for her to recognise his voice. She'd had to forgo the pleasure of sharing a shower with Ryan this morning just so she could look for the number and she couldn't remember Skip's surname so she'd just had to keep her fingers crossed that Taylor, S was the correct entry.

Skip recognised the sweet voice instantly. "Marissa? Is that really you?" he asked all his haste instantly forgotten.

"Yeah. It's me." she answered relief washing over her. She knew that she would have always been able to get Skip's number from Annabel but she was the last person that Marissa wanted to know about what she was planning. "I hope that it's not the middle of the night or something over there but I didn't really have any other time to call you."

"No it's fine. It's Saturday evening. I was just going to pick up Cait and take her out to dinner."

"That's lucky. I had to wait until Ryan had left before I could ring and it was a bit difficult getting him out the door." She explained.

"It's fine. What can I do you for?" he asked still surprised by the call.

Marissa hesitated. She wasn't sure just where to start.

Skip smiled as he waited for her to begin. Obviously what ever it was … she was nervous about it. "Look … I'm sorry … I know that I said that whenever you got tired of him that I'd be waiting … but I'm afraid that you took too long and missed your chance. I'm with Cait now." Skip explained teasing her.

Marissa burst out laughing. That was just what she needed to put her at ease. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. But that's not really why I called."

"That's disappointing. I rather liked the idea of being able to turn down a beautiful woman. It would make a change from having them turn me down." He laughed. "But if that's not it … then what can I do for you?" he asked.

"Okay … Well ... Are you sitting down?" Marissa asked.

"No. Do I need to be?" he asked.

"Well maybe. I have some pretty big news. But first how's your Dad coming on?" she asked.

"He's doing really well. They've moved him in to the rehab ward already and he's coming along in leaps and bounds. But what's this big news? Let me guess. He's got you pregnant and now you want me to talk him in to marrying you?" Skip teased.

Marissa couldn't help but smile. She thought about saying 'No – He's married me and now I want you to talk him in to getting me pregnant ' but she thought better of it. When she was ready to put those plans into action she wouldn't need help from any outsiders. That would be between her and her husband. "No … close but not quite."

"So you are married?" Skip asked - more as a statement than a question.

Marissa was stunned. "How did you know?"

"I live in Sydney – not Outer Mongolia. Let's face it – you two are hot gossip." He laughed. "I saw it mentioned on the news."

"Wow. I have no idea how this stuff can travel so fast. And even why they seem to think that our lives are so interesting?"

"The fact that you both look like movie stars probably helps." Skip suggested. "What am I saying? One of you may very well be a movie star."

"Let's not get carried away here." She replied. "But back to why I called. I need your help."

"Fire away."

"Firstly … This is completely confidential."

"Okay. My lips are sealed."

"You see … we sort of did the Las Vegas quickie last weekend and now that everyone knows it's caused a lot of problems with Ryan's family because they weren't included."

"I don't see how I can help you with that?" Skip said puzzled. "Plus it's not just his family that weren't invited. Hint hint."

Marissa smiled. "I know. And I'm trying to make it right. That's what this is all about. Is there any chance of you leaving your Dad for a few days?" she asked.

"Sure. He doesn't really need me around anymore. The rest of the family are here. I've sort of been feeling a little guilty about still hanging around and missing work but I'm not ready to leave Cait just yet. She's a school teacher and only has few more days left until the end of term and then I was hoping to convince her about the beauty of LA and talk her in to coming back with me."

"How about the beauty of Europe? Come and join us?" Marissa suggested.

"I'm sure it's lovely at this time of year. But I feel a bit guilty about missing any more work."

"What about if this was a paying job?"

"What are you talking about? You've totally lost me." Skip said.

"I'm going to try to organise another wedding as a surprise for Ryan and this time I want all of our nearest and dearest there. I was hoping that next weekend you could bundle them all on to jet in LA and fly them out to Venice." Marissa suggested.

"Another wedding?" Skip asked surprised.

"Uh huh. In Venice." Marissa replied.

Skip smiled as the full impact of her idea hit him. "Consider it done. Maybe we'll make it a double." He teased.

"Are you joking?" Marissa asked.

"No. I'm not. I'm just not sure if Cait would agree just yet. I still need to work on her a bit. And I'm enjoying the 'work' too much to rush it." He laughed.

Marissa smiled. She was sure that he would never change. "So you're not upset about Annabel?" she asked.

"Far from it. It was the best thing that ever happened. I actually rang her and thanked her for being such a slut. It let me out of any obligation. I mean … she was a good fck but that's all it was … whereas Cait is not only better at it but …"

"I really don't need to know." Marissa cut in.

"Sorry … I sort of think of you as one of the boys now."

"I hope that Ryan never thinks of me as a boy." Marissa replied.

"The way that Ryan looks at you is definitely not the way that he looks at boys. I always enjoyed hanging around the two of you because I knew that it was only a matter of time before he would actually perfect the art of undressing you with his eyes and make it a reality. I was keen to be part of the audience when he finally managed to do it." Skip laughed.

"Skip! Does Cait know what you're really like?" Marissa asked.

"Yep. And I don't need you embellishing it any for her. I'm scary enough on my own."

"That's true. And she's still with you?"

"I'm hoping that she'll be with me forever." Skip replied … this time with no mirth in his words.

"Whoa. So you weren't joking about the double wedding?" Marissa asked.

"Yeah I was. But in a while maybe … we'll have our own wedding. And I've already decided that it will be on the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. So Ryan better get over his fear of heights in a hurry. I can't have my best man pass out during the ceremony."

Marissa laughed. "You just need to keep him distracted and then he doesn't even notice."

"I think that I'll leave that up to you." Skip replied. "I'm sure that you have ways of keeping him distracted."

"I may have a few ideas." Marissa replied thinking that none of them would be suitable for a wedding on top of a landmark bridge. She wasn't sure just how Ryan would take this news. But she also knew that he would be their in a moment once Skip asked.


	143. The Newport Connection

**The Newport connection**

Marissa placed a small tick beside Skip's name and then looked at the next name on the list. She hesitated. How could it be so hard to call her best friend? But after the way that they'd left off the last time they'd spoken, she didn't know how things stood between them anymore. And since then … Summer would have found out about their marriage. And that surely wouldn't have improved things. Marissa could only imagine how angry Summer would have been. Seth may have been disappointed but Marissa was pretty sure that Summer's first reaction would have been anger. A total rage blackout no doubt.

Trying to think of how she could even get Summer to answer the phone without just screaming abuse and then hanging up on her was proving to be more than a little difficult. After a considerable period of time, when Marissa tried to think of a number of ways of starting the conversation just to discard all of them she decided to pass on calling Summer and go to the next name on the list. She was hoping that this might go a little easier … although there was nothing certain about that either. They may be just as angry.

Marissa knew that it would be nearly midnight in Newport … but it would also be Friday night. Hopefully they may have been out to a function and still wouldn't be asleep. And even if they were … it wasn't like she had any other options of when she could call them. Not if she hoped to keep this all a surprise from Ryan. She dialled the number and waited as it rang … her heart in her mouth wondering just who would answer.

---

Kirsten was in the kitchen stacking the dishwasher when the phone rang. She was startled … instantly thinking the worst. She reached for the phone with some trepidation thinking that you didn't get good news calls at midnight. She looked at the caller id and was surprised … especially in light of the main topic of conversation for the whole of the evening. Slowly bringing the phone to her ear she pressed the small answer button and said. "Hello."

Marissa let out a sigh of relief. She didn't know why but she had been hoping that Kirsten would answer. She had a feeling that as a mother she would be more likely to forgive them than Sandy ... at least that was what she hoped. "Kirsten? Hi. It … it's Marissa."

Kirsten didn't really know how to react … sure Marissa was now family but she was family that had hurt them all … how was she supposed to react? She really had no idea and so she reverted to what came naturally. "How are you?" Kirsten asked in her formal business tone.

"I'm well. Thank you." Marissa responded in kind. It wasn't exactly a warm greeting but at least Kirsten hadn't hung up on her. "I'm sorry about calling so late but I need to talk to you and this was my only opportunity to get in touch with you while Ryan wasn't here." Marissa explained.

Kirsten was even more surprised if that was possible. Why did Marissa need to call while Ryan wasn't around? She didn't know what she should say. She could hear Sandy, Seth and Summer all laughing about something on the television in the next room and somehow she felt like a traitor because she was talking to Marissa. And yet how could she be a traitor when she was talking to her new daughter-in-law? She had never felt more confused in her life. How was she supposed to react? And why did Marissa need to talk to her without Ryan? It didn't make any sense.

Marissa waited for some response but when none was forthcoming she started to panic. "Please don't hang up on me. Give me a chance to explain first and then I'm hoping that you will help me with a surprise that I'm planning for Ryan."

Kirsten knew that at the mere mention of Ryan's name there was no way that she would hang up. If she had ever wondered if Ryan truly held a place in her heart like her own son … then it was answered right then and there. It didn't matter that he had hurt them all. It didn't matter what he did … she would always love him and care for him ... no matter what … And that being the case there was only one possible answer. "I'm still here. What did you want?"

"First … I wanted to try to explain what happened last weekend and ask for your …. " Marissa had been about to say 'forgiveness' but changed her mind. Nothing about what they did was wrong. They didn't need to be forgiven. If they turned back the clock then they would do the same thing again. So she thought and then continued "… understanding." and then waited for a reply.

Kirsten said nothing. She had no intention of making this easy. What Ryan and Marissa had done had hurt them all.

When there was no response Marissa added. "You need to understand that we decided weeks ago that we wanted to be together for ever but we thought that we should wait until after Seth and Summer's nuptials. With all of the attention we seemed to be getting from the paparazzi, we were afraid that our wedding would take over and that their's would get lost in it all. And you know that Summer has always wanted the grand 'to do' whereas Ryan and I had already spoken about the fact that we wanted the complete opposite. Just something small …" she explained.

"I understand all of that but then why did you decide to rush into it?" Kirsten asked … it still didn't make sense to her.

"Well … a few things happened. As it turns out my mother has been suffering from depression. Pretty severely I gather. I knew nothing about it but Dan … that's her fiancé … had contacted Ryan and asked him to try to get me to speak with her. But he had asked Ryan to keep her condition a secret. He knew that she wouldn't want me to contact her solely because I felt sorry for her. Ryan had been encouraging me to make contact with her and after everything that she had done … that was causing … " Marissa looked for the right word " friction … between us."

"I'm sorry about your mother but I still don't see …" Kirsten started only to be cut off.

Marissa was stuck. She didn't seem to be getting anywhere and so decided to take another tack. "Do you believe in fate?" she asked quickly.

Kirsten was shocked by the question but she knew the answer straight away. She had often thought that it was fate that had brought her and Sandy together. You would never have expected their paths to cross under normal circumstances. They were from two different worlds. "Yes. Yes I do." Kirsten replied.

Marissa sighed. Finally she felt like she had a chance. If Kirsten had said no then she wouldn't have known where to go next. "Well can you just imagine how it was for Ryan and I? We had been secretly engaged for weeks … well before Seth and Summer … and with Seth and Summer seemingly taking forever in making up their minds and organising their wedding … we were starting to wonder if ours would ever take place. Then on the first night that we were in Las Vegas … Ryan and I went for a walk and it was as if fate took over and was telling us what to do. First, we saw a Chanel dress that I loved in the window of a store. It was one that I had modelled at their parades in Paris earlier this year, one that I'd loved so much, I'd almost bought it for myself back then … then we saw a couple coming out of a wedding chapel that were the happiest two people you could ever imagine. Ryan and I stood and watched them for quite some time and I know that we were both wishing that it was us and then we went to Circus Circus and I talked Ryan in to coming on the Ferris wheel with me."

Kirsten didn't really understand the relevance of the Ferris Wheel but said. "Knowing Ryan's fear of heights … that wouldn't have been easy."

"I don't know if you realise but the first time Ryan and I kissed was on the Ferris Wheel at the Harbour School Kick off carnival. We were on it and the wheel stopped at the top and Ryan was freaking out about the height and I kissed him to take his mind off it."

Kirsten couldn't help but smile as she thought about the image of a frightened Ryan being kissed by Marissa. "I'm sure that would have done the trick." She said.

Marissa smiled thinking back. "Yeah. It did seem to have the desired effect."

"So you're telling me the Ferris wheel at Circus Circus reminded you of …"

"No. Well … not no. Yes … it did remind us and that's why I convinced him to go on it. But when we got to the top … the Ferris wheel stopped again. I don't know if it was fate or what? But it just seemed like everything was telling us that the time was right."

Kirsten couldn't help but smile at the thought. "It's almost serendipitous." She whispered.

"Pardon?" Marissa said.

"Nothing. I guess that I'm just sorry that we weren't with you. I'd have loved to be there." She said softly.

"I know." Marissa said sadly. "The only thing that took the shine off the day was the fact that you all weren't there with us. But we had thought that we could keep it quiet and then celebrate properly after Seth and Summer were married but unfortunately that plan didn't work." Marissa said trying to brace herself for what she now had to admit to. "Unfortunately I mistakenly informed two people who I thought were friends and obviously one of them has gone and told the press. And now … all because of me… Ryan has been put in a terrible position with you all."

"Don't worry. He is still Ryan. We might all be hurting a little but we'll come around in the end." Kirsten assured her.

That was a good enough response to give Marissa hope. "Well … how long do you think that might take? I don't mean to rush you but you see … I'm planning a surprise for Ryan to try to make it up to him for me spilling the beans and causing all these problems. But I need your help."

Kirsten was now intrigued. "Doing what?"

"I want to have another wedding in Venice next weekend. This time with all our loved ones there."

"Venice?" Kirsten said. "In Italy?"

"Uh-huh. I'm sort of hoping that you will all agree to attend. I've spoken to Skip and he has agreed to fly you all out together on Friday." Marissa waited.

"Um." Kirsten didn't know what to say. She knew that she'd be there in a flash. She may have missed their first wedding but there was no way that she would miss the second. "I can't speak for everyone else but I'd love to come."

"Thank you." Marissa said. "Do you think that the others will be prepared to come too? Or are they too angry and disappointed with us?"

"They are all here. Do you want to speak with them or would you like me to explain first and then they can call you back?"

Marissa hesitated. She hadn't expected Seth and Summer to be there but then it was Friday night and no doubt they had spent the evening all talking about Ryan and Marissa's secret wedding. "I'm not sure. I guess you have a better idea than I do about how they are likely to take the news. What do you suggest?"

"I'm happy to talk to the boys but perhaps you should speak to Summer your self?"

"Do you think that she'll talk to me? We sort of had a bit of a disagreement the other night." Marissa asked extremely doubtful after their last conversation.

"Give me a few minutes to talk to her and then call back. I'll make sure that she answers. Unless I'm mistaken she feels badly about the way that you two left off the last time you spoke. Maybe you could ask her to help with the wedding plans? I'm sure that she'd love to think that she was part of it all." Kirsten.

Marissa smiled. She could think of nothing better. "I'd love that. Thank you Kirsten. I'll never be able to repay you for this."

"Sure you will. Just make sure that I get to baby sit a lot once you start your family." She said.

Marissa laughed. "That … I can promise."


	144. The arrangements

_A/N Hey everyone. I'm back from holiday and just got the news about the show. I'm still in shock. I can't believe that they would give us the rubbish that was season 3 and then when the show was back and better than ever they decide to cancel it. I'm stunned._

_I hope you still continue to read but if you have all lost interest then I guess that I'll stop posting. If you want me to continue then please just leave me a short review to let me know. Thanks_

**The arrangements**

After getting off the phone from Summer … Marissa sat looking at her list. There were only two entries still not crossed off on the list of invitees.

She knew how lucky she was to have a friend like Summer. She had done as Kirsten asked and waited about 10 minutes and then she called back again and this time it was Summer who answered just as Kirsten had promised. Marissa had been concerned about what sort of reception she would receive from Summer but she needn't have worried. Her best friend was too excited about the thought of a surprise 2nd wedding to hold a grudge … although she had informed Marissa quite sternly that she was going to be a bridesmaid whether Marissa wanted her to or not. Marissa had laughed and assured Summer that that was exactly what she had been hoping for. They had then spent several minutes discussing just what Summer would wear … Marissa already knew what she would be wearing.

Summer had then wanted to help with the arrangements and so Marissa had delegated her with contacting Keith. She was hoping that Cheryl would be well enough to make the trip so that she and Emily could also come along. And Summer was going to get a dress for Emily that would tone in with hers so that Emily could be the flower girl.

Everything was going well. While she had been waiting to call Newport back she had rung Roger Anderson, the Englishman that Ryan was meeting with and asked him to do a favour for her. Fortunately she had gotten on to him just before he met up with Ryan. If he did as she asked then she was sure that Ryan would have no idea about what she was planning. It would all be a complete surprise.

The only entries left on the list were 'Julie and Dan' … which had a large question mark against it and at the very bottom was 'The Atwoods' also with a large question mark.

Marissa wasn't even sure just what she meant by that. She had no idea what had happened to Ryan's family. Since she'd been back with Ryan they had never come up in the conversation at all. And it wasn't as if Marissa was ever likely to bring them up ... especially after everything with Trey. She knew that she didn't want him there. She didn't want to see him ever again. But he was Ryan's brother. Would Ryan want him there? She didn't know what to do. Deciding that she would leave that decision to a later time because she had too much else left to do she moved to the second page which had the list of arrangements that needed to be made but she was again hoping to delegate these to a friend.

She picked up the phone and called Cathy. Cathy was an American who had travelled to Venice on holiday about 10 years ago and met Antonio (Tony), a local and had fallen in love, married and taken up residence. They now owned and managed a small boutique hotel just off the Grand Canal that Marissa stayed at whenever she was in Venice for work. And she had even spent the occasional holiday with them. Cathy had become a good friend over the last couple of years and Marissa knew that she would be happy to help. She had the list already made up of exactly what she wanted and she knew that Cathy would be able to fill in the gaps if there was anything that she had missed.

---

After getting off the phone with Cathy, Marissa knew that she was running short of time. Cathy had been so excited about Marissa's news that they had spent ages going over every little thing so that Cathy was sure that Marissa would get exactly the day she was hoping for. The wedding would not be in Venice but on the tiny island of Burano in the northern lagoon. Tony's family all lived there and his father and grandfather were both fishermen on the island while his aunt and uncle owned one of the marvellous seafood restaurants. Cathy and Marissa had spent many hours wandering the streets of colourful houses often commenting that they wouldn't have looked out of place in Disneyland and they had sat for hours watching the local women hand make the beautiful lace that the island was known for. The actual ceremony would be at the Chiesa di S. Martino (Church of S.Martino) which was built in the 6th century. It had a Latin cross layout, three naves and a vaulted ceiling and Marissa was sure that Ryan would love it. And after the ceremony they would go to Tony's aunt and uncle's restaurant for dinner. It would be perfect. Not a stranger in sight ... only family and good friends.

Glancing at the clock she realised that she had been day dreaming again but really needed to get her act in to gear. She had only about 15 minutes before James and Emma would arrive and she had to pack their bags before then.

Leaving anymore contemplation about her mother and the Atwood's to another time Marissa raced to the bathroom and gathered their toiletries and then quickly packed a few casual clothes for Ryan's first surprise. Managing to just get the last bag closed as the door buzzer rang.

James' excited voice rang through the apartment. "We're here and all set to go." He said.

"Okay. Give me 2 minutes and I'll be down." Marissa replied into the intercom. "Get Emma to drive around to the lane at the back and hopefully that way we'll miss a few of the prying eyes."

"Okay. You've got 2 minutes or we'll start without you."

Marissa laughed. "Don't you even think about it?"

James laughed. "What me? Think about spending a few private days with hunky Ryan far from the madding crowd? As if?" he laughed. "Just make sure you hurry or I'll be happy to fill in for you."

Marissa laughed. "Just know that I would hunt you down."

---

A few minutes later Marissa let herself out of the back door into the lane behind her apartment and jumped into the front seat of Emma's Mini Cooper S … throwing her bags in to the back seat on top of James as she did.

"Darn." He said as he moved the bags to the space beside him. "I thought with a bit of luck that you'd be held up and then I could have had Ryan all to myself." James laughed.

"I don't think that would work very well. I'm afraid that my poor husband doesn't know quite what to make of you and your advances." Marissa laughed.

"Listen to you … 'husband' …" Emma said. "It's sooo cute. I don't know why you didn't tell us in the first place?"

Marisa shook her head. "Long story. Maybe I should have. But we had been trying to keep it from everyone. But I guess with my meltdown that didn't work very well."

"You'll have to tell us what that was all about sometime." James said.

"I will. But not right now. Is everything set?" Marissa asked.

"Yeap. You just have to drop us back at my apartment before you go to pick up Ryan. We've been grocery shopping for you. It's all in the trunk." Emma said.

"I told her that you could live on love alone but she seemed to think otherwise." James commented.

"We do get hungry after a while." Marissa explained. "Plus … " she smiled "I do need to eat just to keep my strength up."

"I bet that Ryan can stay 'up' for quite some time …." James teased.

Marissa could feel her cheeks flush as she went bright red.

"What? I notice that you're not disagreeing. No wonder you had that glow when you came back from LA. I'm surprised that we didn't pick up on it earlier. Mind you a person can only stay post-coital for so long." James remarked.

"James. Do you mind?" Marissa asked fanning herself and hoping to change the subject.

"Only that I didn't get to him first." He teased.

"He's straight." Emma commented. "I'm the one who might have had a chance if only I could have found him before Marissa."

Marissa laughed. "Well you both missed out. He's mine. So hands off."

They all laughed.

"What about the keys?" Marissa asked.

"They're here." James said passing her a set of keys. "And I've printed off the directions of how to get there just in case you'd forgotten. I remember how clueless you are when it comes to reading maps. You got us lost the last time we went there."

"Well I can't be good at everything." Marissa commented.

"No and from the smile on Ryan's face at the Moulin Rouge the other night, I gather that you're good at the important things." James replied.

Marissa couldn't help but remember the cab ride on the way to the Moulin Rouge … with Ryan fingering her in the back of the cab. The blush that she'd just managed to bring under control flared back up again.

"Okay. Enough said." James commented watching Marissa's discomfit.

"And you're sure you don't mind me borrowing your car for a few days?" Marissa asked Emma.

"Consider it my wedding gift." Emma replied.

"Thanks. It's just that if I tried to hire one then I know that we'd end up with paparazzi trailing us. They're sure to have contacts working in the hire car companies." Marissa explained.

"It's fine. Jut make sure that you remember which side of the road you're driving on."

"I doubt that I'll drive further than to the restaurant to collect Ryan. He can drive. Your car will be much safer with him behind the wheel."

"Sounds good to me." Emma replied.

"And what about your uncle?" Marissa addressed James.

"He's fine. Quite excited actually that someone famous is going to be using his humble little weekender. It's not often that it is used at all so you shouldn't have any unwanted drop-ins." James replied.

"Well I haven't paid him yet." Marissa said.

"Consider it my wedding gift." James echoed Emma's words.

Marissa looked at her two friends and could feel the tears well in her eyes. "Thank you, you guys. I don't know what I'd do without you?"

"Well … you're never going to find out because we aren't going anywhere." James replied squeezing her shoulders from behind.

"Yes you are." Marissa said.

"What?" James and Emma said in unison.

"Next weekend you're going to Venice. I'm planning a surprise second wedding for Ryan. This time the real thing. In a church … with all our nearest and dearest and you two better be there." Marissa instructed.

Emma glanced at James in the rear view mirror and shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

"Me too." James said. "Any excuse to dress up. Plus it has the added advantage that I can spend the whole ceremony staring at Ryan and lusting after him and no one will think anything of it. Everybody stares at the bride and groom."

They all burst out laughing as Emma pulled up in front of her apartment. She and James got out and Marissa moved to sit behind the wheel. Emma handed over the keys and asked. "Is there anything that I can do for you for next weekend?"

"Thanks but I think that Cathy has it all under control. But maybe you could talk to her and see if she needs a hand with anything. I'll try to keep in contact with her when I get a minute to myself but I can't do anything that would raise Ryan's suspicions."

"Okay. I'll call Cathy. If we need to get a message to you urgently I could always call you and make up an excuse about the car."

"Okay that sounds good. Hopefully you won't need to. I'll see you on Thursday." Marissa said giving Emma a quick kiss on the cheek and then she hopped back into the car and started the engine. Waving to her two friends she pulled out into the traffic on her way to collect Ryan. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face. So far so good. Things were really coming together.


	145. The Decoy Plan

_Thanks for the replies. I'll definitely keep posting what I have already written. Whether I can motivate myself to continue writing after the show is gone I'll just have to wait and see. But thanks for your feedback anyhow._

**The Decoy Plan**

Marissa turned the corner into the street of the small café that Ryan had been brunching at just as he walked out on to the footpath with another guy in his early forties that Marissa assumed was Roger Anderson. She pulled over into a No Standing zone across the road and lightly touched the car horn to try to catch Ryan's attention. She knew that he wouldn't have been expecting to see her in a car … well at least not a bright red Mini Cooper. Maybe a cab or a limo would have been a possibility.

Ryan looked up as Marissa waved frantically at him. She was scared that he wouldn't realise that it was her but she needn't have worried. The huge smile that broke out onto his face proved that he had indeed realised that she was waiting for him. He waved back and then spoke quickly with the guy that he was with and then made his way to cross the road to her. Roger waved to Marissa and winked at her so she imagined that it was his way of saying that Ryan had taken the bait. She couldn't wait.

She quickly hopped out of the car and made her way to the passenger seat as he drew near. "You drive." She said as he hesitated momentarily and then slid in behind the steering wheel.

He leaned over and quickly kissed her. "So this is the surprise. Where are we off to?"

"You'll see. Just keep your fingers crossed that I don't get us lost." She replied.

"It's difficult to cross my fingers and drive at the same time." Ryan said.

"I'm sure that you're more than capable." She replied and then laughed huskily as a thought came to mind.

"What's that laugh all about?" Ryan asked. "It sounded kind of smutty." He smiled.

Marissa shook her head from side to side. "You'll think that I'm depraved or something."

"I doubt it. Try me?"

"I was just thinking that I've seen you driving into me while you fingers were otherwise employed and you never seemed to have any problems doing both things at once." She said meekly as she could feel the flush start to rise up her neck.

Ryan smiled. "When it comes to making love to you … I seem to be able to find previously undiscovered talents."

"Good." She replied softly. "I hope that you've still got a few of those left because you're going to need them." She remarked.

"This sounds interesting. So exactly where are we off to?" he asked as he pulled out into the line of traffic.

"Just go to the end of this road and turn right and merge onto the motorway heading south. And I'll give you instructions from there. I hope you had enough to eat because it will take us a few hours to get there."

"Is this a picnic or what?" Ryan asked. He imagined that it would be … but if it was going to take a few hours to get where ever they were going then it would be very late before they returned.

"No." Marissa shook her head. "Although we may have a picnic while we are there."

"Exactly where is 'there'?" Ryan asked "And whose car am I driving?" he asked, looking at the full CD stack and mints in the console. This was no hire car.

"As to where we are going … you'll have to wait and see. It's a surprise. Remember? As for the car … I borrowed it from Emma. It's ours for a whole 2 weeks so we can just take our time and properly enjoy our honeymoon. We don't have to have it back until we are due to return to LA. And I've organised some accommodation for us that is private. No prying eyes. We'll be able to do what ever we want." Marissa said dropping her voice so that Ryan couldn't help but know exactly what she was hinting at.

Ryan's face broke into a huge grin at her not so subtle hint. "This sounds interesting. I think that I like my surprise." Ryan said the smile on his face adding credence to his words. "What about clothes and things? Do we need to go home and pack first?" he asked.

"Nope. All here." Marissa replied indicating the two small bags on the back seat.

Ryan glanced at them. "That's it? For 2 weeks? For both of us?"

Marissa nodded.

"You normally have more than that just for your shoes." Ryan said laughing.

"Well maybe I'm not planning on wearing shoes." Marissa replied.

"What are you planning on wearing?" Ryan asked huskily.

"Not much at all." Marissa replied watching Ryan's Adam's apple move as he swallowed thickly. "Do you have any problems with that?" she asked.

"None at all." Ryan said as he could feel his body respond to the thoughts of them spending 2 weeks enjoying the pleasures of the flesh. Now this was what honeymoons were supposed to be like. Not what they'd been through the last few of days. His mind started to wander, as he imagined just what they might find to amuse themselves with for two whole weeks when all of a sudden he remembered. "Aw Shit!" Ryan said.

"What?" Marissa asked thinking that she knew only too well what was coming. But she had to pretend to be surprised.

"Shit. Shit. Shit." Ryan said.

"What?" Marissa asked … a little more urgently this time.

"Roger … the guy that I just met with … he wants me to have a look at a project in Venice for him. I knew that you loved Venice so I didn't think that it would be a problem. I sort of told him that we would meet him there next weekend. He has to go back to London today for a few days but he'll be in Venice from Friday until Monday so I said that we'd catch up with him then. I guess that I'd better call him and tell him that we can't make it after all."

Marissa used all her newly acquired acting skills as she looked at Ryan with disappointment on her face and sighed. "If he's an important client then you'd better not do that. Remember you have an unemployed wife to support now … so you'd better look after the clients you have. Plus you're right." She smiled. "I do like Venice. And I'd love to show you around it. I guess that we'll just have to have a short break in the middle of our honeymoon. We can go to Venice for the weekend and then come back and resume where we left off."

"You'd do that?" Ryan asked marvelling at the fact that she would be so considerate.

"Well Venice really isn't that hard to put up with." Marissa said smiling at him. "It mightn't be quite what I planned but then maybe I'll be getting bored with you by then anyhow." She said teasing him.

"Bored with me?" Ryan asked pretending to be offended.

"Uh huh. You know. A few days with just you and nobody else for miles ... I mean there's a good chance that I'll need some sort of outside stimulation after a few days of it … or should I say … you."

"I promise to give you all the stimulation that you can handle." Ryan replied. And then it was Marissa's turn to swallow thickly as she thought about all the things that that statement could imply. Ryan laughed as he watched the effect of his words on Marissa. "But if you don't mind us having the weekend in Venice then that would be great. I must admit to looking forward to going there. I studied a lot of their architecture during my course at college and I've always wanted to go and see the real thing."

"Well we can't have you miss out on the real thing." Marissa teased thinking only about their wedding. It would be the real thing this time.

"So it's settled?" Ryan asked. "A few days at your private retreat then Venice for the weekend and then back to the retreat to finish off what we started?"

Marissa nodded. "Although I'm not sure that where we are going could actually be called a private retreat. That sounds a little grandiose compared to what it really is. But I guess that it will do." She smiled.

---

A few hours later, thanks to James' list of directions, Ryan pulled the car onto a small dirt lane that lead to an old farmhouse set amongst some vineyards. They had pulled off the main road about 15 miles out of Lyon and the last signs that Ryan had noticed were for Beaujolais, but that was a while ago. Now … he had no idea where they were.

"This is it." Marissa announced proudly. She had been concerned for a while that they were lost. They hadn't seen another car for quite some time. Not since they'd driven through the small village a while back that she knew they would have to return to if they wanted fresh bread or milk.

As they got out of the car, Ryan smiled at her obvious excitement. The farmhouse was rustic and quaint but not at all what he'd been expecting. He'd imagined that Marissa would have wanted some pampering … some luxury.

But all she wanted … was him.


	146. The honeymoon

_If you have time I'd love to hear your views on the next chapter even if they are brief. I think that you'll realise why once you read it and I know that everyone probably has their own view about it but I figure that I've put mine out there and now I'd love to know how everyone else feels. If there are 200 people on average reading each chapter then getting 2 reviews is a bit lame._

**The honeymoon**

James had called on Saturday night to make sure that they had gotten to the farmhouse with no problems and informed them that they were to make themselves at home. Once his uncle had found out that they were on their honeymoon he'd told James that they should help themselves to the contents of the freezer and the wine cellar. It was his wedding present to them and would mean that they were totally self sufficient. They wouldn't need to see another soul unless they chose to. And they didn't.

The next couple of days Ryan and Marissa were blissfully happy.

Their days had taken on a pattern that they never wanted to break. They woke. Made love. Ate breakfast. Made love. Showered. Made love. Went for a walk in the vineyards. Made love. Ate lunch. Made love. Talked. Laughed. Cooked Dinner. Ate. Made love. And they never tired of it. They never tired of one another. If anything they were closer than ever.

Their dinners had become works of art. They had found some cookbooks in the kitchen and the major task each day was deciding what they were going to prepare for dinner that evening. It had become quite an event. They would work alongside each other in the kitchen, dividing the tasks between the two of them. Stopping each time they passed one another to kiss … occasionally getting carried away … at which point food was forgotten for a while until they'd satisfied each other once again … and then they would resume where they had left off. They had both decided that making pastry was their favourite. Kneading the dough was a joint affair … done with the same precision that the clay was moulded in 'Ghost'. But what was even better than on the movie was that they could eat the dough. And the sticky fingers were often licked clean and of course all cooking was done by two naked bodies wearing nothing but aprons … so if other parts ended up sticky then they needed to be licked clean too. It left them with all sorts of possibilities and they took basically every opportunity that presented itself.

Sometimes it meant that they didn't actually eat … well food anyhow … until late at night …their 'distractions' often leading to quite long interruptions to the meal preparations. And one time they had needed to stop for a shower after Ryan had taken Marissa on the kitchen table that they'd just been kneading the pastry on for a French Apple Tart. She had ended up with flour everywhere and Ryan had kindly offered to help her wash it all off … which of course lead to dinner being even later again. And where at all possible, the finished product was served off naked bodies using fingers and tongues. They had both decided that utensils were very over rated.

---

Tuesday morning Marissa woke early and gazed out at another beautiful day. There had been a light shower of rain in the early hours of the morning that had now passed to leave a bright blue sky but the rain had been just enough to freshen up everything. She could smell the newness of life as she lay beside Ryan making plans. And she knew that today was the day. She just had to get Ryan to go along with everything and fall in with her plans.

When they were getting ready to go for their regular walk she told Ryan that it was such a beautiful day that she thought that today they should take a picnic basket with them and have lunch down beside the stream that ran through the property. Ryan happily agreed. They had gotten in to the habit of baking fresh rolls each morning and Marissa put some in a basket along with a bottle of wine and some cheese and pate and a few grapes. Marissa had decided the day before exactly where she wanted to go. Their was a small bend in the stream and obviously sometime, probably years ago, someone had placed a row of rocks across the stream there, whether to make a small bridge to cross over the water or whether it was a child's version of a dam to try to hold back the stream she had no idea. But it meant that there was a constant noise coming from the sound of the water as it fell over the rocks and stones making its way downstream. It was the perfect babbling brook and right beside it was a huge tree. This was where Marissa led Ryan to and once there, Ryan laid out the blanket and Marissa joined him on it as they curled into one another just listening to the water and enjoying just being with one another.

They lay there for some time just relaxing. Ryan was on his back, his hands behind his head and Marissa was on her side leaning in to him … her head resting on his chest watching the steady rise and fall. She was so content with the silence between them that she was hesitant to break it and yet she knew that she had to do it sometime. It was Tuesday already. If she intended to invite anyone else to the wedding it would need to be done today. She knew that ultimately it would be her decision what to do about her mother and Dan … and she still was unsure about that. But as to whether Ryan would want any Atwood's there … she was going to have to sound Ryan out without letting him realise just why she was asking.

Eventually, knowing that she could put it off no longer, Marissa decided she would just have to come out and ask. She had been trying to think of some way to bring them up casually in the conversation but there was no way that anything about Ryan's family could ever be considered 'casual' … so she just spurted it out. "Do you still see much of your family?"

Ryan was startled out of his peaceful tranquillity. "Do you mean the Cohen's?"

Marissa shook her head. "No. The Atwood's. We haven't really spoken about them since we've been back together."

Ryan took a deep breath. "There's not much to speak about. My mother died about 2 years ago now." Ryan informed her.

Marissa pulled back and looked deeply into his eyes … trying to gauge the effect that it had had on him. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Ryan shrugged. "How could you? She developed cancer of the liver. From the time it was diagnosed to the time she died was only about 8 weeks. I guess that with all her drinking over the years, her liver was in no fit state to combat anything. But at least it was quick and she didn't suffer for long." He explained quietly.

Marissa nodded. "I'm glad." She hesitated and then added. "You know she really did love you in her own way."

"Probably. I guess that she did try to make us into a family at some point but it just never came together. Between my father and Trey …" Marissa flinched just at the sound of his name and Ryan noticed the movement and pulled her in to him and continued. "I realise that she never really had a chance."

"What about your father?"

"I have no idea. I haven't heard from him since he went off to prison when I was about eight. I guess that he got out a while ago but he's never come looking for me and I sure as hell don't intend to go looking for him. I only need one father and Sandy fills that role admirably. For all I know my real father could be dead too … or he could be back in jail. Neither of those two options would surprise me. The only thing that would surprise me would be to find out that he was keeping out of trouble and trying to hold down an honest job. But I gave up believing in fairytales like that a long time ago."

"And …." Marissa found that she couldn't even say his name but Ryan knew instantly who she was referring to just from the tremor in her voice.

"Trey?" Ryan supplied. "I haven't seen him since he left Newport on that bus. When mum was alive she occasionally told me some news of him. They used to keep in touch. I think that perhaps she was hoping that one day I might forgive him and want to see him."

"And you didn't?"

"Why would I want to?" Ryan asked almost disbelieving that she would even ask.

"Because he's you brother." Marissa said softly.

"No. Seth's my brother. What Trey did to you …" Ryan started … only to have to stop before the emotions in him bubbled over. He swallowed deeply trying to regain control. "I could never forgive him for that."

"I'm sorry." Marissa said softly.

Ryan turned to her. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"But you lost your brother because of me."

"He was never a real brother. He was just someone that lived in the same house as me when I was growing up. He was always steering me into trouble. I'm old enough now to realise that he was always bad news. Surely you know me well enough to know that I would never have anything to do with any male who could use force on a female to get their way. Eddie … Trey … they were all the same." Ryan said disgustedly. "And to think that he would do that … and not to just any female but to you …" Ryan shook his head. "He knew that I loved you. As far as I'm concerned the brother I thought I had, died that day. I'm glad that he never came back because I still think that I would probably want to beat the living daylights out of him if I ever saw him again. And then I'd probably end up in jail as well."

Marissa couldn't help but be somewhat relieved by his words. She had been scared that she may have had to face Trey again. "Was he not at your mother's funeral?" Marissa asked.

Ryan shook his head. "No. Sandy tried to find him but I gather he was back in jail for something. I didn't really care at the time. I was just happy that I wasn't going to have to have anything to do with him."

"But don't you miss them? They were you family." Marissa asked suddenly realising that maybe Julie wasn't that bad when you compared her to Ryan's family.

"No. Not really. It's hard to miss what you never had. They were people that lived with me. But even though occasionally Mum tried … in between her bouts with the bottle … we were never a family. There was never any support or love between us. We were just people that shared a house. But that just makes me want to have a family even more. Someday I want to have the real thing. The Cohen's have been amazing. They have been with me through thick and thin." Ryan said finally smiling as he thought back and then added "I want my own family like that one day. It's important to me. Maybe if my mother had have lived longer then we might have been able to salvage something … I don't know." He shrugged. "But I do know that I would have tried."

As Marissa processed his words, she knew that she would need to ask her mother to the wedding. She didn't want to have regrets later in life that she didn't try. She realised why it was so important to Ryan that she did try to make things right with Julie. Because he had some regrets that he hadn't been able to do that with his own mother when she had died so quickly. If Ryan had been prepared to give his mother a chance after everything that she had put Ryan through, then surely she could do the same thing. She was still lucky enough to have a chance with Julie. Ryan no longer had that possibility with his mother.

She would call England today.


	147. The picnic

**The picnic**

After their light lunch Ryan and Marissa resumed their positions on the rug laying back and enjoying the peacefulness. The only sound that of the trickling water and the occasional bird. Marissa felt very reassured after Ryan's comments about Trey. She knew that the thought of possibly having to have anything to do with him had been like a dark cloud hanging over her… but it seemed that was not going to be the case. She had been running over everything that Ryan had said about family in her mind and she knew that she wanted the same thing. One day they would have their own family and they'd both seen enough of the wrong way to go about things that surely even if they just did exactly the opposite then they'd be a chance of getting it right. And of course they would have Sandy and Kirsten to guide them.

She ran her fingers lightly over Ryan's chest over his t-shirt and then moved to his waist to run her hand underneath the fabric and over the toned flesh … feeling his nipples respond as she played with them. She pushed the t-shirt higher wanting to play with his nipples … this time with her tongue… and then decided that she wanted it off all together.

"Are you right there?" Ryan asked as she pushed the offending garment still higher.

"I think that you've been spending too much time inside lately and you're looking a little pale. If you take your shirt off you can get a little sun." she explained.

"Of course." He nodded. "You just want me to get some sun?" Ryan asked … doubt written all over his face.

Marissa nodded ... the look of innocence she was trying for … totally given away by the sparkle in her eye.

"And what about you? I haven't been inside on my own. If I'm pale then you must be too." Ryan replied as he sat up and pulled off his shirt. "Maybe you should do likewise. Get some sun." he suggested imaging her sun baking beside him in her underwear.

Marissa smiled and stood up at the end of the rug. She was wearing a floral print sundress and where she was standing she was directly between the stream and Ryan with the sun coming from behind her. Ryan moved his head slightly so that he wasn't looking straight into the sun but all that did was give Marissa an aura. She moved to pull off her dress over her head and then stood before him completely naked.

Ryan was awestruck. He couldn't have said anything to save his life. His jaw dropped and his eyes became fixated as he stared at the vision before him. He wasn't even aware if he was still breathing. His beautiful wife stood before him completely naked … with the sun's rays spreading out around her. His whole body ached for her. And when he looked into her eyes the longing that he saw there matched his own.

Marissa smiled at his reaction. It was exactly what she had been hoping for when she had been making her plans in the morning and decided to leave off her underwear.

When Ryan felt the ability to speak slowly return only one word made its way from his lips. "Ris." He said as he reached for her.

She joined him back on the rug as he instantly took her lips in his and then covered her with his own body … he knew that he would never be able to get enough of her. He wanted to lose himself in her completely.

She moved to undo his belt and Ryan hesitated for a moment. "Do you think that we should be doing this here?"

Marissa nodded. "Why not?"

"Well what if there is someone around?" He asked.

Marissa laughed. "We haven't seen another soul for 3 days. Are you sure that you're not just tired of me?" she asked.

Ryan smiled a slow sensual smile that made Marissa's toes curl. He quickly rid himself of his jeans and boxers. "I'm occasionally tired out BY you …. But I'll never tire OF you." He said as his hands started to move over her.

Her body couldn't help but respond. He knew every spot to touch ... every way to touch it. His fingers, his mouth, his tongue worked their exquisite magic until she could take no more. She rolled onto her back and pulled him on top of her and he slowly and gently entered her. Their love making was slow and infinitely sweet; it was a sign of their commitment to a life together and yet hot as hell at the same time and after they had both climaxed Marissa held him to her as if her life depended on it.

When Ryan had recovered, he went to move off her but Marissa held him tightly where he was. He was puzzled but stayed there for a few minutes more … but she still held him where he was … deep within her. Ryan whispered. "Aren't I squashing you?"

Marissa shook her head. "No. I don't want you to move." She said softly as she hooked her feet behind him just to prove how much she wanted him to stay where he was. She had her own private reasons for not wanting him to move that she would share with him one day soon ... but for right now she just wanted them to stay exactly where they were ... for as long as possible.

"What about you wanting to get a tan?" Ryan asked puzzled by her actions. She couldn't get a tan like this. Not that he was complaining. Lying inside her was never a problem. "Are you hoping for another round?" he asked still puzzled by her actions.

"I'm not sure that I'm up for that just yet but you know that I'd never say no. Why don't you stay just right where you are and rest and we'll see what happens a little later."

Ryan smiled. He needed no further encouragement as he rested his head back onto her shoulder and nuzzled into her neck. "I could get to like this he said." He settled down and dozed off to sleep still deep inside her.

---

Marissa lay very, very still.

She wanted to give them every possible chance.

She knew that she was expecting miracles. It had only been a few days since she had flushed all of her contraceptive pills down the toilet. But she had checked her cycle and this was her most fertile day of the month. And she had remembered that a model friend of hers, who had been trying to fall pregnant, had told Marissa that her doctor had recommended her staying on her back for a period of time after her husband had ejaculated to give them the best possible chance of conceiving. And she was happy to try anything that might hasten things along. Now that she'd decided that starting their family was the most important thing in the world to her, she was impatient to make it all a reality. Plus having Ryan lying inside her was not a hardship … it was something that she could very easily get used to. The thought that one of his sperm could be swimming inside her at this very moment seeking her egg brought a big smile to her face. She turned her head away from Ryan knowing that if he saw it, he would wonder about the cause of her obvious joy. She closed her eyes and tried to doze with him …

and then woke with a smile.

She had no idea what had woken her but she just felt that this time was the one? Call it women's intuition. But she just felt that she had a tiny group of cells frantically dividing inside her. She knew that probably sounded strange. Even if she really was pregnant … why now? They had already made love twice today … why couldn't it have happened on one of those occasions? Maybe it was just wishful thinking but she just had a feeling that this was it. Everything had been going so well for them the last few days … if she was lucky they would have just created their first child … A child made from their love ... Here in the vineyards of France … a French baby.

---

Some time later, Ryan and Marissa made their way back to the farmhouse and Marissa knew that much as she didn't want to … she was going to have to find a way to get rid of Ryan for a while. It would be the first time they had been apart since Saturday afternoon and she'd loved every single minute that they'd been together but she needed some time to herself to contact Julie. If Julie and Dan were going to attend their wedding then they would need some time to arrange their travel plans. And Marissa couldn't speak to her with Ryan around without giving away her secret.

They were talking about what they would cook for dinner when she saw her opportunity. "I'd love to make Crème Caramel for dessert tonight but we're running short of eggs." Marissa replied.

Ryan shrugged. "We'll think of something else then."

"But I really like Creme Caramel." Marissa whined … a smile on her face to soften her words.

Ryan laughed. He doubted that he would ever be able to deny her anything. "Well … I guess that we could go for a drive back to that last village that we came through. I'm sure that we could get fresh eggs there." Ryan replied.

"How about you go for a drive to the village?" Marissa suggested.

"Why me?" he asked. "Don't you want to be with me anymore?"

Marissa smiled. "No. It's not that. It's just … believe it or not … I'm probably more well known in France than you. You may be the famous one in the states but people around here are used to seeing my face plastered over magazines. And if the papers are still carrying any stories about us, then I don't want to risk giving away our location. I've enjoyed out private interlude here much too much to want to share you with a bunch of paparazzi. I'm not prepared to risk that."

"I certainly don't want the paparazzi anywhere near us." Ryan agreed.

"Yeah. I rather enjoyed getting 'some sun' today." Marissa said. "I'd like to do it again tomorrow but if we're scared of prying eyes then we won't be able to."

Ryan swallowed thickly ... the memory of making love in the vineyards still very much at the forefront of his mind. And the possibility of it happening again only causing reactions in his body that he didn't want to deny. "You have a point."

Marissa glanced down at his crotch as she noticed him 'rearranging' things. "It looks like something else is trying to make a point too." She commented smiling.

Ryan smiled. "See what you do to me. Even just the thought of a re-enactment is enough to cause me problems."

"Well why don't you go fetch us some eggs and then we'll see if I can help you with those problems. I mean I am your wife. All our problems are shared."

Ryan gave her his half–smile that made her go weak at the knees. He picked up the car keys and moved towards the door. "I'll be back very soon. Just don't go starting without me."


	148. The reluctant invitation

**The reluctant invitation**

Marissa quickly dialled the number before she changed her mind. She'd decided that she was just going to be up front and straight forward and her mother could either come or not. Marissa didn't care either way. At least not that she was prepared to admit to.

"Hello?" Julie answered.

"Mom." Marissa replied recognising the American accent immediately.

"Marissa? It's … it's " Julie didn't know what to say. She was very pleased that Marissa had returned her call from Friday but she didn't want to say the wrong thing and upset this very precarious connection that they had made and have her daughter hang up on her.

"Yeah . I know." Marissa said cutting Julie off. She didn't want to get into some long and heartfelt discussion with Julie at this point. She knew it would have to happen sometime … but right now the most important thing was to get the invitation over and done with before Ryan got back. She knew that he wouldn't be long so she was just going to have to come straight out with it. "Don't get too excited. I still haven't forgiven you but I am at least trying."

"Thank you." Julie replied.

"It's probably better that you thank Ryan. Without him it would never have happened. But that will have to come later. Sit down." Marissa instructed.

"What?" Julie asked surprised by Marissa's terse manner.

"You heard me sit down." Marissa replied. "Are you sitting?"

"Yes." Julie replied wondering what was to come.

"I'm about to give you some information that is completely confidential."

Julie's heartbeat started to quicken. All she could think of was that Marissa was pregnant. It would make sense of their rush to get married. But she didn't know if she was ready to accept the thought of that yet. She had barely come to terms with the idea of Marissa being married.

"The only people on this earth that know it are people that I would trust with my life. If any of it leaks out to the press then I will know that it is because of you and I will never … repeat N E V E R … talk to you again, whether my husband wants me to or not."

Julie was stunned. She didn't know if she was supposed to reply or not. She'd never heard Marissa sound so definite about anything before in her life.

"Do you understand?" Marissa asked.

"Yes." Julie replied meekly.

"Okay … but I'm warning you, if you divulge this information to anyone then we are over. For good."

"I understand."

Marissa hesitated … she still wasn't completely sure that this was such a good idea but after her talk with Ryan about family she knew that she had to try. "Okay … so … I am organising a second wedding for us next weekend."

"You're what?" Julie asked flabbergasted.

"You heard. But it's a surprise for Ryan. If you do anything to spoil it, I will never forgive you." Marissa said. "And I promise you … THAT … is a solemn vow."

"I understand." Julie said. And then qualified her statement. "I don't really understand why you are having a second wedding but I promise that I won't tell anyone about it."

Marissa considered what her mother had said and then proceeded on. "Our wedding in Las Vegas … " Marissa started and then hesitated unsure of just how to explain things. She didn't want her mother getting the wrong idea. "Was great. But unfortunately … because we were trying to keep it all quiet … we missed out on having some important people present."

"Do you mean …?" Julie asked almost daring to think that Marisa may have been referring to her.

Marissa realised what her mother was hoping for and still couldn't help herself but to have a dig at her mother. She may have been prepared to give her a chance but she certainly hadn't forgiven her yet. "I mean the Cohen's … and our friends." Marissa replied.

"Oh. Of course." Julie said completely deflated.

"And it's put Ryan in an awkward situation with his family. So I'm organising this as a surprise for him. The Cohen's are all coming and so are some of our closer friends." Marissa explained. "And I guess …if you want to … you can come to." Marissa said. She knew that it wasn't exactly a gracious and heartfelt invitation but it was all she could manage at this point; the memory of the pain that her mother had caused them still too fresh in her heart and mind.

Much as Julie wanted to say no because the invitation sounded so forced … she also knew that if she did say no then Marissa would probably never give her another chance again. And she certainly wasn't ready for that and so she answered softly. "Of course … I'd love to come."

"Will Dan come with you?" Marissa asked.

"Is he invited?" Julie said not wanting to presume anything. She knew that this connection with her daughter was precarious. She didn't want to risk upsetting it for anything. She knew that her depression since Friday … when she had spoken to Marissa and she had confirmed that she and Ryan were in fact married …had been more about missing her only child's wedding than the fact that she had actually married Ryan. She had been resigned to that happening since she had returned from Newport. And in fact, not that she was quite ready to admit it publicly … but she thought that he would make Marissa very happy. But the thought of having hurt Marissa so much that she had gone ahead and excluded her own mother from her wedding was what had hurt her the most. But it looked like she was being given a second chance. And she intended to take it … with both hands.

Marissa was surprised by the question. Julie really was scared of doing anything that would upset the status quo that they had reached. "Of course." She smiled to herself thinking about the fact that her mother seemed to actually be a little scared of upsetting her for once. It made quite a change. She couldn't help but think that it just showed that there was a first time for everything.

"Then we'd love to attend." Julie replied.

"Don't you think that you should ask him first?" Marissa suggested.

"He knows how much you mean to me. There is no way that we would miss it." Julie assured her.

"Okay. Just make sure that I don't regret asking you." Marissa said. "And lay off my husband." Marissa said wanting to make sure that Julie didn't start on at Ryan as soon as she saw him. Julie had never liked Ryan but there was no way that Marissa would allow her to upset their wedding.

Julie swallowed thickly. Surely Ryan hadn't said anything to Marissa about their little meeting at the Mermaid Inn? If he had then she didn't think that anything would have convinced Marissa to talk to her again. And she knew that Ryan would be able to hold the knowledge of just what she had been prepared to do over her head if she ever tried anything with either of them again. "I promise that I'll be perfectly well behaved." Julie replied.

"You'd better." Marissa threatened still with some misgivings.

"Just tell me where and when?" Julie asked.

Marissa gave her mother the details and even told her where she was allowed to stay. There was no way that she could stay at the same hotel as Ryan and Marissa. She couldn't take the chance of Ryan running in to someone they knew before the ceremony. All of the guests were staying at another hotel run by friends of Cathy and Tony's that was close by.

"So I'll see you on Saturday." Marissa said about to hang up.

"Marissa?" Julie said causing Marissa to hesitate.

"Yeah?"

"Is there anything I could do to help?" Julie asked wanting to volunteer her services. She had always imagined that she would be the one organising Marissa's wedding not that she would be attending as a reluctantly invited guest.

"No. It's all under control." Marissa replied and then felt a little bad. "But thanks for asking."

---

Julie replaced the telephone and then went to find Dan who was working in his study.

He glanced up as she walked in to the room and he was surprised by the smile on her face. It seemed like it had been a long time since he seen her do that. "You're looking pleased about something." He commented.

"I just got off the phone from Marissa." Julie stated. "**She** called **me**." she added just to make sure that he realised just how momentous an occasion it was.

"Well did she?" Dan asked and couldn't help but smile at the change in his fiancé. It was good to see Julie finally starting to lighten up. Obviously whatever the problems were between Julie and Marissa were what had been causing her moods and depression.

"Yes. And we're going to Venice for the weekend to …" Julie started and was about to tell him why but then thought better of it. She had promised Marissa that she would keep the wedding totally confidential and she doubted that Marissa expected her to keep it from Dan. But … Dan had a marketing and PR company. The temptation for him to have someone there to cover the event would be enormous. It would be worth a fortune. And she couldn't risk it. She wasn't prepared to put her relationship with Marissa in jeopardy for anything.

"To?" Dan prompted her as he waited for her to continue.

"… To meet up with Ryan and Marissa." Julie finished.

"I thought that they were going to come here? Or we could have gone to Paris if they preferred. Why are we going all the way to Venice?" Dan asked.

Julie thought quickly and then replied. "I guess that she wanted to meet on neutral territory. Or maybe she's there for work. I'm not sure. But I said that we'd be there. If you don't want to go then I'll go on my own."

Dan was surprised. Julie had shown no initiative for weeks now. To think that here she was suggesting that she would do anything on her own was amazing in itself. "No. I'll be there. I'm keen to meet Ryan. From what I can tell … He seems like an exceptional guy."

Julie thought about the fact that it seemed that it was Ryan that had convinced Marissa to give Julie another chance. She smiled and replied. "You have no idea."


	149. The hiccup

**The hiccup**

Since Ryan wasn't back yet, Marissa decided to take the opportunity to call Emma and just make sure that everything was going according to plan. Emma had been going to keep in touch with Cathy so if there were any problems with the plans for the wedding then she should know about them.

"Hello." The very prim English voice answered.

"Emma. It's me."

"Thank God. I've been going insane trying to work out how to get in touch with you without Ryan catching on. I didn't want to ruin you honeymoon but if we don't do something … then your wedding is going to be ruined anyway." Emma said obviously concerned.

"Sorry. I just had to wait for an opportunity when Ryan wasn't around. He's gone to the village to pick up some fresh eggs so I have a few minutes. What's going on?" Marissa asked.

Emma started to laugh.

Marissa was puzzled. "Hang on. What's with you? One minute you're all panic stricken and the next you're laughing?"

"Probably a little hysteria but I was just thinking that most people aren't on their honeymoon while their wedding is being planned. Takes you to do everything backwards." She giggled finally able to see the funny side of everything. Now that she could warn Marissa hopefully they could sort something out to prevent everything from going belly up.

Marissa smiled. "When have you ever known me to do things the 'normal' way?"

"True. But that doesn't really help." Emma replied. The concern obvious in her voice again.

"Okay. Just settle down. What's the problem?"

"You really have no idea what's going on?" Emma asked.

"No." Marissa replied totally clueless.

"Haven't you seen a newspaper? Or even watched television?" Emma asked.

"No. You know what it's like down here. It's not like there's a newspaper sitting at the front door in the morning and we haven't been out anywhere. And as for TV … well … I've sort of been busy." Marissa chuckled, thinking about what or more importantly who … had taken up most of her time. "Should I?"

"Well." Emma said not really sure where to start. "Firstly … I should be angry with you … You didn't happen to mention to us that your husband … as well as being hot and sexy … is also some multimillionaire whiz kid of some sort. We had to find it out from the press."

"Would it have made any difference?" Marissa asked.

"Only that we may have been prepared. Once word of your marriage got out there have been reporters and press everywhere. It's insane. I worked with Karl yesterday and there were reporters camped out there. They even bailed up Karl trying to find out your movements. And let me tell you he is as grumpy as all hell. What did you do to him?" Emma asked.

"Nothing." Marissa replied.

"Not buying it. He's been like a bear with a sore head ever since all this came out. Something must have happened?"

Marissa said nothing. She didn't want to air her dirty laundry in public.

Emma could tell that she wasn't going to get a response to her question so she carried on. "I'm glad that they didn't pick on James or me. We had to sneak out the back way just to get home because we didn't want to be interrogated. And at the Chanel parades today Claudine went off her tree at the fact that the press seemed to be more interested in where you were than the new line. It wasn't pretty." Emma commented.

"Sorry about that. But I still don't see how any of this can ruin the weekend?" Marissa asked … the news about the paparazzi only making her even more appreciative of the privacy that they had enjoyed over the last few days.

"Well … James and I went to Marie and Claude's for dinner last night and it was absolute bedlam around there. There must be 50 or 60 paparazzi camped out in front of your apartment building and Marie said they have been there around the clock, for the last couple of days. It seems that they think that you are probably both holed up in your apartment and they aren't moving for anything. You and your dear husband are BIG news and they'll do anything to track you down."

"Oh." Marissa said. She and Ryan had been so happy on their own the last few days that she hadn't even thought about what they may have left behind.

"If you return to your apartment before the wedding they will follow you and hunt you down." Emma assured her.

"Well what else can we do?" Marissa asked. She had planned that they would return to Paris on Thursday evening … spend the night at her place and then fly to Venice on Friday. But the last thing she wanted to do was let the paparazzi know what they were up to.

"Well James and I have been talking. At first we thought that maybe you could just come to my place and leave from here. But we reckon that they probably have people watching the airport and most likely the train station as well thinking that you might make a break for it and head off to London."

"So how are we going to get to Venice without the prying eyes tracking us down? They would wreck everything." Marissa said feeling her high hopes suddenly crashing down.

"Well we've spent ages tossing ideas around and … the only thing that we can think of … is that you'll have to drive there. It's probably only about 5 or 6 hours from where you are. And except for getting gas you should be able to do it without anyone being any the wiser. Just get Ryan to put a cap and some dark glasses on when he fills up and you stay in the car. You're too recognizable around here."

"Drive? But what about all our clothes? They are all back at the apartment. I only brought the bare essentials with us down here." Marissa explained.

"I can imagine that there has been plenty 'bare' down there." Emma laughed. "I'm sure that you wouldn't have found the need for many clothes at all."

"Very funny. But that still doesn't help." Marissa stated. She wasn't prepared to admit just how right Emma was. They hadn't needed many clothes at all.

"Could you just buy more when you get to Venice?" Emma suggested trying to think of someway to solve the problem.

"How? If it's really as bad as you say then we can't risk showing our faces anywhere until after it's over." Marissa replied and then frowned trying to think of a solution to the problem. She smiled as she thought of an idea. "How about …." She started and then hesitated as she tried to think it through with all its ramifications.

"How about what?" Emma asked.

"I need another favour?" Marissa asked.

"Fire away."

"Marie and Claude have a key to my apartment. I gave it to them to water my plants while I was away and I haven't gotten it back from them yet." Marissa explained.

"Okay. So what do you want me to do?" Emma asked.

"If I give you a list of what I need … could you go and pack it up and bring it with you?" Marissa asked.

"Sure … but how are you going to explain to Ryan how your clothes magically appear?"

"I'll tell him that you called and said that the paparazzi are camped out at our apartment. And I'll explain that I asked you to go and pack a suitcase and send it to Venice for us. I just won't mention that it is being hand delivered." Marissa explained.

Emma thought about it for a moment. "It could work." She said.

"It's the only way that I can think of for us to have any chance of keeping a lid on it all."

"Okay. So tell me what you need and I'll make sure that it gets to Venice."

"Are you sure that you don't mind us taking your car?" Marissa asked.

"Not at all. Just make sure that you watch out for those crazy Italian drivers. I think that they are even worse than the French ones." Emma laughed.

"Don't worry. We'll be careful. There's too much riding on all this. I'm starting to feel a bit like Julie Andrews in 'The Sound of Music' escaping over the Alps." Marissa said.

Emma laughed. "How well do you sing?"

"Not well at all." Marissa responded. "Are you sure that you don't mind doing this?" Marissa asked again.

"Are you kidding? I can't wait. This is the most fun I've had in years. Just give me a minute to find something to write on so I can take down your list. I don't want to forget anything. James and I have booked a flight for Friday evening. Will that be okay or do you need the clothes before then?"

"No that's fine. We'll leave here about lunchtime Friday so we'll all get there about the same time. But maybe you should just get Cathy to pick up the bag from the airport. I don't think that we should chance you delivering it just in case we run into you."

"Okay. I'll sort that out with her. Now … what do you need?" Emma asked.

Marissa thought for a moment. "Okay. We'll do Ryan's stuff first and then mine."

Emma laughed.

"What?" Marissa asked wondering what was so funny.

"Do you have any idea how much fun James will have going through Ryan's stuff? He'll probably want to try it all on." She commented.

"Well just tell him hands off." Marissa laughed in reply. "Or maybe I should take pity on him. Maybe you should just assure him that it's the closest he will ever get to the real thing. Otherwise I'll scratch his eyes out."

"This will be fun." Emma assured her. "But you'd better hurry with the list or Ryan will come back and I won't know what to bring."

"Okay. Here goes ……."


	150. The plans

**The plans**

Marissa had just finished with her list when she saw the car turning off the lane and into the farmyard. "I have to go." She told Emma. "Ryan's home."

"Okay. I'll make sure that everything gets to Venice." Emma replied.

"You're a pal." Marissa said.

"Uh huh. I'll see you Saturday. Cathy has everything under control. It'll all be waiting for you just as you asked."

"I'm never going to be able to thank you for all this." Marissa said and then quickly hung up as Ryan walked through the door. She jumped as if she'd been shot.

"Hey. Why are you so strung out?" he asked as he put the eggs on the table and joined her on the sofa.

"Um nothing ... Sorry." Marisa replied. "I just didn't hear you come home." she said quickly ... trying to still her racing heart. "I mean not home but ... back. I guess I was just surprised."

Ryan frowned. Something didn't seem quite right with her ... she was a little off. "Who were you talking to when I came in?" he asked.

Marissa didn't realise that he'd seen her on the phone but now she was going to have to explain. She had hoped that she'd have a little time to herself to run over just what she wanted to tell him but she was going to have to explain it now. Hopefully it would all make sense and he would believe everything she said. "Um Emma."

"And what are you never going to be able to thank her for?" Ryan asked wondering about her final words on the phone. He was hoping to be able to work out why Marissa seemed to be acting so ... strangely.

Marissa could tell that Ryan suspected that something was going on. She was going to have to do a better job of covering up or he would work out that something was afoot. She took a deep breath. "The use of her car. I called her just to say hi and thank her again for letting us use her car and she told me that things in Paris are interesting to say the least."

Ryan frowned. "Interesting in what way?"

"Apparently the news of our marriage has sent the paparazzi into a feeding frenzy. They are camped out in front of the apartment around the clock. And they have been talking to Karl and Claudine trying to find out our whereabouts."

"As if we'd be likely to tell them." Ryan remarked still unable to feel a little bit of jealousy whenever Karl's name was mentioned. And Claudine was the one who had shown no loyalty and basically sacked Marissa … he didn't have any time for her either.

Marissa was glad that she hadn't invited Karl to the wedding. It had crossed her mind but she didn't think that Ryan would have been happy about it and now … from the tone of his voice ... she was sure of it. And when she thought about it – it wasn't as if she would have been too happy to have one of Ryan's old fuck buddies there either. So it was probably all for the best. "Exactly." She agreed. "Emma suggested that maybe it will have quietened down in a couple of weeks when we are due back but when I told her that we were going to Venice for the weekend and that we'd planned to return by then … well she said we would be insane to go back to Paris at the moment. She thinks that we are sure to be spotted and then followed."

"Well … I'm not prepared to share what's left of my honeymoon with a section of the press so it looks like I'd better just call Roger and let him know that we won't be there. He'll just have to manage without us." Ryan said.

Marissa panicked. This wasn't working out the way that she wanted at all. "But I thought that you were looking forward to it? Going and looking around Venice." Marissa asked.

"I was. But not enough to ruin our honeymoon. He'll just have to either wait till some other time or find someone else to do the job." Ryan assured her. "There's no way that I want the paparazzi finding out our whereabouts. I'm having much too much fun." he said with a suggestive leer in her direction.

Marisa laughed. "Well what if we don't need to ruin it?" she asked. She was now in fix-it mode.

Ryan looked at her puzzled. "I'm sorry I don't understand. I thought that you just said that we can't return to Paris without the paparazzi finding out and following us?"

"I did. But we're not going to Paris. We're going to Venice." She explained.

"But how?" Ryan asked still confused. She seemed to be talking in riddles.

"Emma suggested that we drive. She said it's about 5 or 6 hours from here. We can just leave here on Friday and take our time and we'll still be there by Friday night." She shrugged. She knew that she couldn't be seen to be pushing this too much or Ryan would start to twig that something was going on. She had to appear as if she didn't care one way or the other.

Ryan thought it through. It seemed like a great plan. "Emma doesn't mind us taking her car?" he asked.

"No. She's the one who suggested it."

"And that's what you were thanking her for." Ryan said as it all started to make sense.

"Yes. Well that and the fact that she's promised to go and pack a bag of our clothes and send them on ahead."

Ryan smiled lasciviously. "And what do we need clothes for? We seem to manage quite well without them." He said starting to unbutton Marissa's blouse.

Marissa giggled. "We do while we're here. But it will be a different story in Venice." She explained.

"Well in that case then maybe I don't want to go to Venice." He replied.

"Yes you do. And I want to take you. I want to show you all my favourite places. Plus there's a little restaurant that I want to take you to on Saturday evening. And I promise that we won't have to wear clothes ALL the time."

"That's sounding better." Ryan said a big smile on his face.

"Maybe over the next 2 days I can wear you out and then you'll be looking forward to spending some time with clothes on." Marissa suggested grinning from ear to ear.

Ryan looked at her sceptically as if that would never be possible. "You're welcome to try but don't be surprised if you fail."

"Is that a challenge?" Marissa asked.

Ryan couldn't help but smile. "I like you when you're like this." He chuckled.

"Like what?" Marissa asked.

Ryan hesitated and then a small smile appeared on his face. "Horny." He replied.

Marissa playfully swatted him. "I don't think that it's all one sided?"

"I never said that it was. I'll happily admit to being horny whenever you're around. Hell – It seems that I have been since I met you."

Marissa smiled. How could she still enjoy flirting with him so much when they were already married? "Yeah well … the feelings mutual."

Ryan pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply.

When they came up for air Marissa pulled back a little. "So are we going on a road trip then?" She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. If Ryan said no and backed out of the weekend in Venice then she had no idea how she could get him there without spoiling the whole surprise.

"A road trip hey? You do realise that the last road trip we took didn't go to well?" he said thinking back to Tijuana.

"A lot's changed since then." She replied. "I promise I won't OD in any laneways." She assured him.

He nodded knowing that she wasn't the same insecure person that she had been back then.

"So does that mean that we can go?" she asked.

"I'd go anywhere with you. If you want to show me Venice … then so be it." Ryan replied.

Marissa smiled as the relief washed over her. "So in 2 days it's off to Venice?" she asked just wanting him to confirm.

Ryan smiled. "Yep. We're off to Venice." He echoed and then added "But I believe that you were going to try to wear me out before then?" he asked as he proceeded to rid Marissa of her blouse revealing her braless torso.

Marissa pulled at his t-shirt wanting to feel skin on skin. This would be a fun few days.


	151. Getting started

_A/N Thank you to the few regulars that keep reviewing this story. I do appreciate your feed back. It helps to keep me going. I just thought that I should warn you that we are on the homeward stretch. The end is in sight._

**Getting started**

The next few days for Ryan and Marissa were blissfully happy ones. They got back into their routine. Clothes became a rarely worn commodity as they tried to quench their sexual thirst for one another. But it refused to be sated. It was as if they were trying to make up for all the time that they had lost in their years apart. They grew closer and closer as they talked through their plans and about their dreams for their future together. But it seemed that Marissa's suggestion that she could wear Ryan out was nothing more than a hollow threat.

The picnics beside the stream had become the lunchtime norm and each day as they lay in one another's arms basking in the sun and the afterglow of their love-making, Marissa would wonder if her dreams of a baby were perhaps already taking root and growing inside her. Ryan still had no idea that they weren't just practising anymore but playing for keeps. She knew that he would be over the moon when the time came and she couldn't wait. And even though she didn't want to presume for a minute that just because they were so compatible sexually that it would necessarily follow on that they would conceive quickly … she couldn't help but feel that perhaps it was already on it's way. She knew that some people took some time conceiving after having been on the pill for a period of time but something in her just told her that she wouldn't be one of them. She just hoped that it wasn't just wishful thinking.

---

Friday morning dawned and it was grey and overcast. Occasional showers of rain moved across the sky making a gentle pitter patter on the roof but they seemed to be getting heavier and more frequent not lighter. It was the first day since they'd arrived in France that hadn't been blue sky beautiful. As usual, Ryan woke first. He looked out the window and snuggled up even closer to Marissa. He was spooned around her naked body and even though he'd awoken that way just about every day since they'd gotten back together it still brought a smile to his face. He couldn't imagine anything better and he wanted to be able to do it every day for the rest of his life.

Marissa stirred and rolled over in his arms. "Hey." She smiled.

"Hey to you too." He replied and kissed her sweetly.

"It's our last morning here." She said regretfully.

"No it's not. We'll be back next week." Ryan reassured her. "We'll only need a few days to check things out in Venice and then we'll be back."

Marissa hoped that he was right but she was afraid that if the paparazzi found them in Venice then escaping back here may not be possible … at least not without a posse in hot pursuit.

"Hell." Ryan said. "I'm thinking that maybe I should buy the place and we'll stay here forever."

Marissa smiled at his words. "So I gather that means that you liked my surprise when I hijacked you and brought you down here?"

"You know that I love it here … Just you and me ... It's perfect." Ryan replied. "I had no idea when you came to get me from brunch that this is what you had planned."

"It has been perfect." she sighed. "But we do have to return to the real world sometime." Marissa suggested knowing that it was highly unlikely that they would ever get another opportunity like this again. Their time together here had been magical but the real world was about to invade.

"Why?" Ryan asked. "We don't need anything or anyone else. I just need you." He said and Marissa felt her heart melt yet again.

"When did you become such a romantic Mr Atwood?" she asked softly.

"When I met you Mrs Atwood." Ryan replied swiftly.

Marissa smiled. "Good answer." She rolled to her back and looked out of the window. "When do you think we should get going?"

Ryan looked at her puzzled. "I thought that we'd agreed to wait and leave after lunch?" Ryan said.

"Well that was when I thought that the day would be fine and we'd be having our picnic down by the stream. I didn't want to miss out on it." She explained. "But with this weather I can't see that happening."

Ryan smiled. Their picnics had become something that they both looked forward to. Making love to Marissa out in the open air made him feel as if they were the only two people on earth. It was magical. But certainly if they tried it today … well it wouldn't be very comfortable and it would certainly be very wet. "Maybe not. At least not unless you were planning on growing webbed feet. If this rain gets any heavier I suspect that our little stream will become a raging torrent."

"Maybe we should just have some breakfast and then get going. I guess that this weather will slow us down a bit?" Marissa suggested.

"Mmmm." Ryan replied and then pulled her closer to him. "Or we could just forget about Venice all together and spend the day in bed." Ryan countered.

Marissa was startled. Much as the idea of spending a rainy day in bed with Ryan appealed to her … there was no way that she was going to let a little rain spoil her plans now. She had to think of something quick. "You can't get out of it that easily. I've already called my friend Cathy and told her that we're coming and she's promised to hold us my favourite room. I can't just let her down now."

"I'll happily pay for the room … she won't be out of pocket." Ryan stated as he started to run his hands over Marissa. Cupping her breasts and gently tweaking her nipples he replied. "There's just something else that I'd rather be doing."

Marissa smiled as she felt her body begin to react yet again as her need for him was re-ignited. "Well … how about I let you DO me and then we'll get going. I think that there's enough hours in the day that we can fit in both." Marissa teased.

Ryan smiled. "You don't know just how long I expect to be DOing you."

"Ryan Atwood!" Marissa said sounding shocked. "You can't be serious? Do you know how often we've been DOing it? Surely you can last a few hours? It's not as if you're never going to get the opportunity again. I promise that it's even more fun in Italy than it is in France."

Ryan looked at her surprised. "MORE fun?" he questioned, the doubt clearly written on his face.

Marissa nodded with a smile on her face.

"Well I that case I think that we had better hurry up and get to Italy. I need to find out more about this. I may have been missing out." He teased but started to get out of the bed.

Marissa looked at him shocked. "If there's one thing I'm certain of … it's that you haven't been missing out!" she stated. "But I don't think that we have to leave straight away." She said. Ryan's ministrations had awakened a need in her that she wanted quenched before she even considered moving from the bed. "Why don't you come back here and we'll just freshen up you memory of what 'Doing it' in France is like. Then you will have something to compare it to when we get to Italy." She explained.

Ryan pretended to be deep in thought. "I guess that makes sense." He smiled. "So you saying I can have it now and later?" he asked.

Marissa nodded ... the sparkle in her eye enough to have Ryan back in bed within seconds. There was no way that he was missing out.

---

After breakfast they cleaned up and packed up what few belongings they had with them and once Ryan had safely stowed them in the car, he came back inside only to find Marissa standing by the door gazing around the small farmhouse that had come to mean so much to them. He could tell how much she regretted having to leave.

"You know it's not too late. I could still call Roger and tell him that I can't make it to Venice and we can just stay here." Ryan suggested.

Marissa shook her head. She knew that was not possible. Unbeknown to Ryan, their friends and family would already be on their way to Venice. There was no way that they could not go. "No. I want to go to Venice. I just …" she started and then looked at him. "I'll just miss this place." She explained.

Ryan smiled softly. "You know when we first arrived I was a little surprised by where you'd brought me. I thought it would be a little …. 'rustic' for your liking. No room service. No house-keeping." He explained.

Marissa shook her head. "That was part of the attraction. The fact that it would be just us. It seems to me that the only time that we ever have any problems … it is usually because of other people." She said thinking of the dramas over the years with Oliver, Theresa, Trey, even her mother and more recently Annabel, Karl and Sasha.

Ryan had to agree. "Yeah. We do seem to get on pretty well when it's just the two of us together … when there is no one else around to interfere." He said and placed his arm around her pulling her close. He could see how upset she was.

She turned to him and buried her head into his shoulder trying to stop the tears from falling. She was surprised by how emotional she was feeling.

"Hey." He said as he put a finger under her chin and lifted her face to look into her watery eyes. "Don't cry." He smiled at her. "I promise that we'll be back here just as soon as we can. It will only be a few days."

Marissa tried to smile in return. It's just that she knew that 'as soon as we can' was going to be a lot longer than he realised.

They walked out and Ryan locked the door behind them and then they ran through the rain to the car. As soon as they were safely inside out of the rain again he turned to Marissa and asked. "Do you actually know the way or are we just going to get onto the motorway and look for a sign that says Italy?"

Marissa smiled. "Emma said there is a map inside the cover of the Paris street directory that's somewhere in the car."

They fished around looking for it and finally found it under the passenger seat. Marissa pulled it out and opened the book only to find a one page map from a rental car agency. It had Paris on one side and the whole of Europe on the other.

"Whoa. Detailed!" Ryan remarked and they both burst out laughing.

"I guess that we can at least see what direction we should be headed in." Marissa suggested trying to remain positive.

"I guess. Although … with no sun, you could turn me around and I wouldn't know which way was north. This could be interesting."

"Well … I'm up for an adventure." Marissa replied. The last thing she needed was for Ryan to use this as an excuse to try to cancel the trip to Venice and return back into the farmhouse.

Ryan glanced at her. All traces of her recent tears about leaving the farmhouse now totally gone. There was a sparkle in her eye. How could he not want to go on an adventure with her? "It's a pity that this car doesn't have GPS." Ryan remarked.

"Where's your adventurous spirit Atwood?" Marissa asked.

Ryan laughed but turned the key to start the car. "Okay. Just remember you're the navigator. If we get lost then it's all your fault."


	152. The road trip

**The road trip**

Ryan and Marissa made their way back on to the motorway and headed south to Lyon and then from Marissa's small map she decided that they would head for Geneva skirt around the lake and then go through Milan and Verona to Venice. It looked fairly straight forward. Even with the constant rain they made quite good time and reached Geneva just before noon.

After stopping for gas, they decided to take the scenic route and drive along beside the lake but due to the weather the scenic route wasn't too scenic … just wet. They were getting hungry and after some discussion they decided to stop for lunch before they got back on to the main road.

Ryan pulled up in front of a small café on the edge of the lake, that due to the weather was basically deserted and so he felt that it would be safe for them to have a quiet lunch at.

"How about here?" he asked. "It's not too flash but at least we'll be able to get something to eat and there aren't too many people around."

Marissa shook her head. She wasn't prepared to take any chances with someone recognising them and selling them out to the press. At the moment the paparazzi all thought that they were in Paris and she wanted to keep it that way … at least until after the wedding. Too much planning had gone into it to risk something spoiling it at this late stage. "I'd rather just get something to go and continue on." She suggested.

"But we've got plenty of time. It doesn't matter how late we get there tonight." Ryan replied not quite understanding her eagerness. Surely they could just enjoy the trip.

"I'd rather get there in daylight." Marissa said searching for any excuse that would make them stay in the car as much as possible. She knew that Ryan didn't want their location to be revealed either but for him the paparazzi would just be an annoyance. He didn't realise that they could completely destroy all the plans that she had carefully made. "Plus … I'd still like to stay completely incognito if it's all the same to you. People around here are likely to know who I am." she explained.

Ryan thought that she was being a little over cautious. He had thought that she may have liked to have a nice meal where she was waited on for a change after they'd been cooking for themselves for almost a week but if she didn't want to then he was happy to indulge her. "Okay. Are you sure that you're just not scared of getting wet?" he teased as the rain started to come down even harder.

She smiled looking outside at the torrent that was now coming down. "Actually I'm looking forward to you getting wet. Then you'll have an excuse to take off your clothes."

Ryan laughed. "As if that's going to happen. You know that normally I have no problem taking my clothes off for you but even I draw the line at driving on the motorway starkers. However …" he thought for a moment "I could get some take out and then we could find a deserted spot along the lake shore where perhaps some of my clothing could be shed … as long as yours was being shed at the same time." He suggested.

Marissa smiled.

"Well?" Ryan asked. "No comment?"

"Just get us something to eat and we'll see where we go from there." Marissa replied the smile on her face telling him that the idea held some attraction. In truth, the idea was very appealing. After all … they were used to their lunch times including making love out in the open air … this wouldn't be quite in the open … it was too wet … but it also wouldn't be in private… so that would have to do. It was as close as they were going to get.

---

After their 'lunchtime interlude' they made their way back onto the main road.

"Do you realise what the time is?" Marissa asked. "I can't believe that we were there for so long."

Ryan smiled. "Well you were the one that insisted on seconds of dessert." He replied casting a quick glance at his beautiful wife still with that post coital glow about her.

Marissa blushed as she thought back to what had happened in the car. Thank goodness for the rain. It had managed to muffle out her cries of ecstasy and also provide a watery curtain that provided them with some privacy. She had never been so thankful for heavy rain before in her life. "Are you complaining?" she asked.

"Never." Ryan replied.

"You do know that's the first time I've ever done that in a car. I didn't think that I was 'that sort of girl'." She laughed. "See what you've done to me?"

"If you keep looking at me like that … I'm likely to pull over and do it to you again." Ryan suggested.

Marissa was surprised by just how much that idea appealed to her. Would she never get enough of him? "I wonder what Emma would say if she knew exactly what we were using her car for?"

"Perhaps that's something we should keep to ourselves." Ryan suggested and then asked. "How much further do we have to go?"

"We've barely even started." Marissa replied. "We just got waylaid."

Ryan smiled. "I'm happy to get laid with you anytime."

"Very funny. But we really need to just keep moving or we'll never get there." Marissa responded eager to get to their destination.

---

About an hour later they drove over the Alps and in to Italy.

"You do realise that I feel like we are doing 'The Italian Job' in reverse. A red mini going over the Alps and in to Italy … we should be going the other way." Ryan suggested.

"Yeah. And I should be sitting beside Mark Wahlberg." Marissa replied.

Ryan looked at her taken aback. "Well sor …ry. But maybe I should be with Charlize Theron." He replied.

Marissa looked horrified. "You wouldn't?"

"I don't know. Would you?" Ryan asked teasing her.

Marissa laughed. "No!"

"Then neither would I." Ryan assured her.

"Plus … we're only trying to elude the press … not the law." Marissa remarked.

"True." Ryan replied "so maybe not too "Italian Job" after all."

"Maybe not. But it's a nice thought." She said as she yawned and settled her head back looking out the window at the passing scenery.

Ryan caught the sight of the yawn out of the corner of his eye and said to her. "Why don't you have a snooze? I need you to be rested and in fine form for me tonight." He teased.

Marissa looked across at him puzzled.

"You did promise me that it's even better in Italy than France." He explained.

She smiled. "Yes I did. Maybe I will close my eyes for a minute then if that's okay with you?"

"Sure. It's not like I can make a wrong turn on a motorway."

---

It was about 2 hours later and Marissa was fast asleep in the car when Ryan noticed some large exit signs on the freeway. He looked at Marissa wondering if he should wake her but ... she seemed so peaceful that he was reluctant to do so. It seemed that if he stayed on his current road then he would go straight to Milan but there was an alternate route through the Italian lakes. He'd often heard about Lugano and Como and as the weather had improved and the rain was only now the occasional shower he decided to take the alternate route hoping that it may be a little more scenic than the grey asphalt of the motorway.

---

Marissa awoke a while later and wondered why they were no longer on a freeway. "Where are we?'

"We're just outside Lake Como." Ryan replied.

"What are we doing here?"

"Well you were asleep and I was bored with the freeway and I thought that we'd take the scenic route instead." He explained.

Marissa looked at the small map again and then at her watch. "You do realise that this is out of our way?" she asked. She wanted to be angry at him because this would make them even later but she felt guilty that she'd been asleep for so long and hadn't kept him company.

"It can't be that far out of our way. Is it?" he asked.

"Roughly an hour there and another hour to get back on the right motorway again." Marissa explained.

Ryan glanced at the clock. It was almost five and the rain had started to come down lightly again. "Sorry. I didn't realise that it would be quite so far."

Marissa glanced over at him as he rubbed his neck. She knew that he was probably feeling stiff and tired and here she'd been blissfully sleeping while he'd had to concentrate hard on driving through the pouring rain. "It's okay. It'll just be really really late by the time we get there. I might call Cathy and let her know so that she doesn't worry too much about us." She said as the Lake came in to view. It was beautiful and Ryan pulled the car over so that they could take it all in.

Ryan glanced up at the road sign in front of them for the next intersection. To the right was the road to Milan that would take them on to Venice. But to the left was the road to Bellagio. The town, that had given the hotel in Las Vegas where they had started their marriage, it's name. He hesitated for only a moment before pulling back out again and turning left.

"What are you doing?' Marissa asked in shock.

"You know I'm a big believer in fate. It's what made us meet in the first place. It's why I decided on that Ferris wheel that we needed to get married then and there. And now I have to think that … just maybe this is some sort of sign. Why were you asleep when I needed directions? What brought us here? It seems only right that since we're so close we should at least go and investigate. It's only just up the road."

"35 kilometres." Marissa stated looking at the sign. "We're already going to be late."

Ryan shrugged. "You were going to call Cathy anyhow. Why don't you just tell her that we won't be there until tomorrow and we'll find somewhere here to stay for the night? I must admit that I'm looking forward to getting out of the car and stretching my legs. The thought of another few hours behind the wheel isn't exactly appealing."

Inside Marissa's head her mind was exploding … and her stomach was churning. She didn't want this to happen. How could she get him to turn around? She sat there trying to think of something that would make sense without actually giving away her secret. But she could think of nothing and the longer she took the further they drove in the wrong direction. But she had to admit that it was beautiful. They were driving along the edge of the lake and there was a part of her that had to admit that the idea of staying here held more than a little appeal. Plus Ryan was tired. And she did have to call Cathy anyhow. She guessed that it would be all right … but she had to find some way of making sure that they left early tomorrow. She couldn't risk Ryan falling in love with the place and wanting to stay another night. "Okay. But you have to promise that we'll get going early in the morning. I've had Cathy organise reservations for us at this exclusive restaurant tomorrow evening and there is no way that I'm missing out on it. It's almost impossible to get in there. Even if you love it here, we're leaving first thing in the morning. If you want to stay longer then we'll have to stop in again on the way back."

Ryan smiled. "Sounds good to me."

All Marissa could think about now was getting in touch with Cathy. She had imagined that she could have excused herself from Ryan to go and catch up with her friend after they had arrived and that then she'd be able to do a last minute check that everything had been taken care of but now there would be no chance for that. She was just going to have to keep her fingers crossed. She took a deep breath and sat back …trying to enjoy the view. Then … as they rounded a bend a rainbow came out over the lake. It was so beautiful that it literally took her breath away and she knew that it was fate's way of telling her that in the end everything would be all right.


	153. The detour

_A/N I just thought that I'd let you know that there are about 10 more chapters until the end of this story. I'm going away for the weekend and then for about a month at the end of next week and I'm not sure whether I should start posting twice a day on some days to get it finished or whether I should just wait until I return to finish it off. Does anyone have any particular preferences? Let me know. Thanks. ;-)_

**The detour**

Ryan booked into a small family run hotel on the waters edge. There were far grander establishments around but they were still keen to stick to something small and intimate. He knew that Marissa was still a little freaked out about the thought of the paparazzi upsetting their honeymoon and so he asked if it was possible to get a meal delivered to their room explaining that his travelling companion was not feeling well.

Marissa had stayed in the car and she was hoping that there would be some way for her to get to their room without being seen. She knew that she spent much too much time working on shoots for Italian designers to think that she would go unrecognised for long if she was out in public in places like this.

While Ryan had been inside making the reservation she had taken the opportunity to quickly call Cathy and tell her about the change of plans. Cathy had been horrified. She still had things that she'd wanted Marissa's final word on but Marissa told her to just go ahead and that what ever she decided would be fine. It crossed her mind to tell Cathy to talk to Summer but knowing how hard Summer found making any decision to do with weddings, she decided that Cathy would be better off on her own. Marissa ran the other options over in her mind. Emma was going to be arriving too late to be of any help, Cathy needed to know before then, but maybe Kirsten would help she suggested? The only other possibility Marissa wasn't prepared to mention. Julie had given up the right to play any part in the planning of Marissa's wedding when she'd lied to them both. When Marissa saw Ryan returning to the car she quickly told Cathy to just go ahead and do whatever she thought best. She just hoped that everything would end up going according to plan.

Marissa was delighted that Ryan had managed to get a room that had an external entry and they could pull the car up beside the room. It was a small apartment on the ground level and opened out directly onto the lakefront. They settled in to the room and opened a bottle of champagne and sat and watched the last remnants of the sunset over the lake. The clouds had now completely disappeared and it was truly magical.

After the sun was finally gone and the darkness had settled in, Ryan stood up and took Marissa by the hand leading her back to the large four poster bed that dominated the room and then he turned and silently started to unbutton her blouse.

Marissa smiled but followed suit and started on his buttons as well.

Ryan had been expecting some reticence on her part but he realised that he should have known better. "This is just a quickie before dinner." He explained. "It's just that you did tell me that doing it in Italy was even better than doing in France and I've been thinking about it ever since we crossed the border."

Marissa grinned. "That's a few hours ago."

"You're telling me?" Ryan said making sure that she appreciated just how preoccupied he'd become by the thought.

She laughed. "So no pressure to perform?" she asked rhetorically.

"No pressure." He replied as he divested her of the rest her clothes and then quickly dropped his pants to join her on the bed.

Marissa laughed out loud. "Did you know that I love you?"

Ryan pulled back a little surprised. It seemed that they tended to show one another how they felt more than actually state it. "I did have that suspicion." He said as his lips met hers and he started to work his magic on her. Soon all coherent thought was impossible as they lost themselves in one another again.

---

Some time later Marissa was collapsed on top of Ryan her breathing still ragged as she tried to regain some control and she could finally manage to say what she'd been about to say when he'd started to work his magic on her and caused her to completely lose her train of thought. "You know …" she panted. "I was hoping that you might return the sentiment." She prompted.

"What?" Ryan said. He was also trying to come back to earth and he had no idea what she was talking about.

Marissa took a deep steadying breath and started again. "I said I love you and I was sort of hoping that you might say that you love me too?" she prompted.

Marissa could feel Ryan starting to move beneath her; the small tremors getting larger as it started to build to a chuckle. He was still inside her and the feeling while not unpleasant was also quite unusual. She sat back up on top of him as he started to laugh out loud.

"I don't see what's so funny?" she asked in bewilderment.

"I'm sorry. But you have no idea how hard I worked at NOT saying it." He explained.

"What do you mean? Why don't you want to say it? Don't you mean it?" she asked completely bewildered by his behaviour.

"Of course I do. But there was a point … just a short time ago when I was completely lost inside you and I had a flash of that guy in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" when his wife was on top of him still in her wedding gown and he's yelling out at the top of his voice. 'I … love … my … wife.' That was about to be me. But I was scared that if I opened my mouth that they would hear me in Venice." He explained.

"Oh." Marissa replied a little embarrassed now that it all made sense. "So you weren't disappointed in the Italian version?"

"Oh no. In fact …I'm thinking that we should never leave." He replied.

Marissa panicked. He couldn't do this to her again. "Oh yes we are. And early in the morning or you'll never get the Italian version again." She threatened.

Ryan looked at her in horror at her threat. "Does it still work in Venice?' Ryan asked.

"Of course. It's even better." Marissa teased.

He smiled. "Not possible. But then I thought that when you told me that Italy would be better than France and you proved me wrong so I'm willing to check it out."

Marissa laughed.

"But I'd better call up and order more dinner. I can see that what I asked for will be no where near enough to keep up my strength." Ryan remarked.

"Why do you think that Italians eat all that pasta. It's for the carbs. They need the energy to increase their staying power." She explained.

"Staying power hey?" Ryan quizzed. "Just what I need. More pasta coming up."

---

Cathy put the phone down from Marissa and instantly called out to Tony to come and take over the front desk. She had been holding the fort down not prepared to leave the desk for anything because she had been waiting for Ryan and Marissa to arrive but there was no need anymore. They wouldn't be here until tomorrow.

She'd wanted to check out for herself this guy that had finally won over her friend's heart; suspecting all along that he was the guy that Marissa had occasionally spoken to her about. Marissa had never revealed very much but whenever Cathy had asked her about her love life or dreams of falling in love and starting a family Marissa always just changed the subject saying that there had been someone special once but that it was over and that she didn't think that she'd ever find anyone else to replace him. Cathy could only think that he must be quite some guy and if the stories and photos that had been in the papers and magazines recently were anything to go by then he obviously was.

But she was going to have to wait another day to find out. What was important now was that she get the final arrangements all sorted out. She decided that even though she could make the decisions herself that she would rather not and so she would take Marissa's advice and go and talk to Kirsten. She had arranged for all the other guests to stay at a small hotel run by some friends of hers that was only a few minutes away. And so as soon as Tony had taken over from her she quickly excused herself and headed off there hoping to get the advice that she needed.


	154. The motherofthebride

**The mother-of-the-bride**

Cathy and Kirsten were sitting having a coffee in the small lounge that adjoined the reception area of the hotel where Kirsten was staying. Even though they had never met before they were enjoying one another's company. Kirsten could see that Cathy was obviously a good and resourceful friend of Marissa's and she was happy that Cathy had asked for her help. She couldn't help but feel a little guilty that they hadn't included the maid of honour in the discussions but also knew that Marissa was probably right when she'd told Cathy that Summer would only confuse things even more. And with the wedding tomorrow that was the last thing that they needed. Time was of the essence.

They were making headway with Cathy's list and had already dealt with a number of things when they were disturbed by the arrival of new guests to the hotel. They both looked up and came face to face with none other than Julie. Cathy knew Julie from her previous visits with Marissa when she had been Marissa's manager but she gathered from Marissa that she and her mother had had a falling out over something but she had no idea what. Kirsten of course knew exactly what ... and was somewhat surprised that Julie was even there. She had thought that Marissa may have decided to go ahead and have the event without her.

"Kirsten." The still attractive red head nodded ... waiting to see what sort of reception she would get. She had to wonder if everyone knew about what she had done to Ryan and Marissa.

"Julie." Kirsten acknowledged her once close friend. She didn't feel that she needed to pretend to be happy to see her. As far as Kirsten was concerned she'd lost that privilege when she'd caused Ryan and Marissa to split up in the first place.

"Cathy." Julie greeted the younger woman seated at the table.

"Julie." Cathy responded.

"Um It's good to see you both." Julie stated obviously feeling awkward. She moved a little to one side as the attractive man in his fifties that she had entered with came to stand beside her. Julie waited a moment and then introduced him. "I'd like you to meet my fiancé Dan. Dan this is Cathy, a friend of Marissa's and this is Kirsten, a …" Julie was stuck for words. How did she explain where Kirsten fitted into all this?

Kirsten rose to her feet and offered her hand. "I'm Ryan's mother." She replied simply.

Julie was surprised. She'd never really thought about Kirsten in that way … always thinking that Ryan was more of an unwanted house guest that the Cohen's hadn't been able to get rid of. But Kirsten's words put that theory to rest well and truly. The love and pride in Kirsten's voice was obvious.

Dan nodded. "It's nice to meet you. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to meeting him. He seems like quite an exceptional young man."

Kirsten beamed. She'd been expecting to have to defend Ryan thinking that Julie would have spread her biased impressions of Ryan to Dan but Dan's response was a delightful surprise. Of course she had no idea that Dan had approached Ryan for help personally with regards to Julie and that they had made a connection albeit over the phone. "I think so. But I can't take the credit for it. It's all him."

"Well I can't wait to finally meet him." Dan replied.

"I assure you that we're all looking forward to FINALLY being able to catch up with Mr AND Mrs Atwood." Kirsten said emphasising Marissa's new name as she glared at Julie almost daring her to make a derogatory remark. She knew that without Julie's interference this wedding would have probably taken place years ago.

Julie gulped. She could sense that Kirsten was looking for a fight but she wouldn't be getting it from Julie, She knew that if she put one foot out of line then Marissa would never forgive her.

"So are we." Julie stated meekly.

Dan looked at Julie puzzled. He still had no idea exactly what had happened between her and Marissa but she'd been very excited all the way here and now that they were finally here, she seemed to have retreated into her shell. There was obviously more to all of this than he knew. "I'll just go and check in." he said to Julie indicating the reception counter. "You stay here with your … friends." He said with little conviction. From the looks that the other two women were giving Julie he wasn't so sure.

Julie stood frozen to the spot as Dan moved away and headed for the counter on other side of the large foyer.

Kirsten and Cathy looked at one another not knowing whether to continue or not. They both knew that Marissa would have serious reservations about her mother having anything to do with the wedding plans.

Julie looked at them both. "Please don't let me stop you from what ever you were doing."

Cathy looked at Kirsten and noticed her give a small nod to continue so Cathy looked at the next thing on the list. "That brings us to the decorations for the church. I'm not sure what Marissa would want on the ends of the pews? We can either go for large bows either with or without bells or horse shoes or … we could stick to just flowers. What do you think that she'd prefer?" Cathy asked Kirsten.

Julie looked horrified. "You mean that all this hasn't been arranged yet?"

Kirsten noticed Cathy about to explode. She had done an amazing job of pulling a wedding together in less than a week with very little guidance from Marissa and no help from anyone and here Julie was about to start to question her about her plans or lack there of. Kirsten jumped in straight away and tried to explain. "Marissa had been going to sort out the final details when she got here but they won't be here until tomorrow so we have to just make our best guess about what she'd like."

"She's not here yet. But how …?"

"It appears that Ryan decided that he wanted to stay the night in the Italian Lakes district and Marissa couldn't very well tell him that they didn't have the time or she would have given away the surprise. He thinks that he is coming here for a work project of his and he doesn't need to be here until Monday so she couldn't rush things. But he has promised her that they'll be here in time for dinner tomorrow night."

As the knowledge sunk in Julie realised just how hard this must have been for Cathy. "I apologise. I hadn't realised."

Cathy nodded … happy that Julie had backed off. "That's okay but it still doesn't help me to know what to do as far as the decorations go."

"Um…" Julie started and both Cathy and Kirsten looked at her. "Could … I mean would … do you think …"

"Out with it Julie." Kirsten started. "What's on your mind?"

"I was wondering … do you think that maybe I could do the decorations?" she asked and looked at them hopefully. "I know that Marissa has probably said that she doesn't want me to have anything to do with it … but she is my only daughter. I had always hoped that I would be the one organising this whole shebang …"

Kirsten couldn't help herself as the doubts crept in. "Even if it was to Ryan?" she asked.

Julie smarted as if she'd been hit.

Cathy looked surprised. So obviously Julie hadn't liked Ryan for some reason. She decided that some time in the future that she would have to ask Marissa about exactly what the history was between them all but that didn't help right now.

"Even if it was to Ryan." Julie replied hesitantly. "Let me do this one thing. Marissa need never know that I had anything to do with it. You know that I will make sure that it's beautiful. I would never want anything else for Marissa."

"And Ryan." Kirsten added.

"And Ryan." Julie agreed.

Cathy and Kirsten exchanged looks. Kirsten shrugged "She is a great decorator and she certainly has style and it's one less things that we have to worry about."

Cathy was all for having one less thing to do. "Okay." She looked at Julie. "Will you still want all the flowers that I've ordered?"

"I'd like to visit the church first and then I'll let you know." Julie replied the smile on her face the first genuine smile that she'd had in weeks. "And thank you both. You don't know just what this means to me."

"Mess this up and you may not live to regret it." Kirsten said. "Because I will hunt you down."

"I promise I won't." Julie responded. "Can I ask what the colour theme is?"

"Well Summer is wearing sage green and Emily is wearing a soft pink dress with a green sash that matches Summer's dress." Kirsten explained.

Julie looked at Kirsten surprised. Who was Emily? "Is Emily Seth and Summer's child?" she asked.

Kirsten frowned realising that Julie had no idea. "No Emily's the little girl that Ryan and Marissa fostered when her mother was injured in hospital."

"Marissa fostered a child?" Julie asked incredulously realising just how much of Marissa's life she had missed out on in just the last few months.

Kirsten smiled. "Yes."

"But she has no idea how to …" Julie started only to be cut off by Kirsten.

"I assure you she's a natural and she's going to make a wonderful mother one day. You should have seen her with Emily. She was so nurturing and loving. They have a very special bond." Kirsten explained.

Julie nodded. The thought that so much already had happened in Marissa's life that she hadn't been a part of made her even more determined to somehow fix what she had broken between them. She had no intention of doing anything that would make her miss out on Marissa's future. And decorating the church would be just the beginning.


	155. The DAY is finally here

**The DAY is finally here**

Marissa woke at first light the next morning. She knew that it was still very early and that she should go back to sleep … but she just couldn't. After the night that they'd shared she knew that Ryan wouldn't wake for quite some time… unless of course she decided to wake him. She smiled at the thought. Maybe she would do that … but first she just wanted to lie there and think about what today would bring.

She was getting married.

She knew that sounded weird given that she'd already been married for 2 weeks. But the first time it had all happened in such a rush. She hadn't had the joy of taking her time and thinking about it. Not that she regretted one moment of it. Ryan's surprise wedding in Las Vegas had been wonderful … better than wonderful … fantastic … as her Dad would have said.

She thought fleetingly of her father. Much as she would have liked Jimmy to be there … to be like a normal father and give her away … that was something that he'd given up the rite to a long time ago. She hadn't heard from him since she'd said good bye to him on his boat after spending the night with Ryan for the first time. Seeing him beaten up had taken a lot of the joy out of her first night with Ryan but of course Jimmy would have had no knowledge of that. Having to tell her mother that Jimmy had let them down yet again hadn't been easy. And of course it had led to Julie and Marissa having to leave Newport to support themselves. How different her life may have been if she could have changed all that and had a 'normal' father. But she thought that she had finally learnt to accept what life threw at you, deal with it and move on. And Ryan had helped her to do that.

And today, she was going to surprise him with the wedding that she had always dreamed of. And she intended to enjoy every little thing … including the anticipation of each step as she got closer to becoming Ryan's wife in front of the people nearest and dearest to them.

She looked at the man lying beside her and knew that he was her soul-mate. After everything that they'd been through nothing was more certain. They had found their way back to one another. She loved him completely and only felt half alive whenever she wasn't with him. No one would ever mean more to her. She ran her hand lightly over her flat stomach wondering if their child was furiously growing inside her. She wanted it so much now that it had become almost a physical ache whenever she allowed herself to think about it. He or she would be the only person who could ever rival Ryan in her affections. The thought of being able to hold their child … a person created from their love … brought tears to her eyes. She swiftly wiped them away. She wasn't sad … quite the opposite in fact … she just seemed to have been overly emotional lately. She could only hope that it was pregnancy hormones that were causing her feelings to running amok. But after the emotional upheaval of her last pregnancy scare when it turned out that she wasn't pregnant, she didn't want to spend too much time focusing on it. She had a wedding to think about. And if she wasn't pregnant now, then hopefully she would be very soon.

Trying to get her mind on to something else … she couldn't help but wonder how Cathy was going. She felt a little bad about having left her friend to make all of the arrangements. But then she knew that she was nothing if not resourceful. Marissa had given her little direction … only the major things … like the dress … the church and the restaurant for their celebration.

She hoped that there were no problems with the dress. She knew that Cathy knew the exact one that she wanted. They had seen it the last time that Marissa had been to stay with Cathy and they had gone to visit Tony's sister who worked in a bridal salon that specialised in designs which featured Venetian lace. Marissa could still recall it in detail. She had fallen in love with it instantly and had even been convinced to try it on. She had felt like a princess. She hadn't even contemplated the possibility that it may have not been available. So far everything had fallen in to place for her. She just had to believe that they would continue to do so.

But other than those main items Cathy had been left with it all. Marissa wondered if Cathy had taken her advice and spoken to Kirsten. She hoped that any reservations that Kirsten may have had about their marriage would have passed and that she would be behind them 100 percent. She didn't want any reluctance from any of the guests to spoil their day.

And that included her mother.

She still wondered if it had been the right thing to do to invite her. She was sure that many people would have thought that she was mad to include her. And at the start Marissa would have been happy not to. But knowing how important family was to Ryan … how lacking the early stages of his life had been in anything remotely like a real family … and the fact that he had some regrets about not trying hard enough with his own mother before she died … made Marissa realise that she did hope that somehow she would eventually be able to forgive Julie for her interference and lies that had caused them so much pain.

After Marissa's well intentioned lie to Ryan about Karl's status in her life, Ryan had somehow found it in his heart to forgive her and had given her another chance. If he could do that then surely Marissa could find it in her heart to give Julie another chance. She was after all the only mother that Marissa would ever have.

She couldn't help but see the similarity between the two situations. Julie had lied because she wanted to protect her own lifestyle and she thought that Ryan and Marissa being together would ruin that. She either hadn't really thought or hadn't really cared about how much Ryan and Marissa would be hurt in the process.

Marissa had now realised that while her lie wasn't of the same magnitude … the fact was that she had been almost as selfish. She had wanted to maintain her relationships with both Ryan and Karl and she knew that if they both knew the truth then that wouldn't be possible. She knew that she had ended up hurting them both but the worst thing that she'd done was to cause Ryan to doubt his importance in her life and she hoped that this surprise wedding would go a small way to showing Ryan that he would always be number 1 to her. She hoped that at some time in the future she would be able to mend things with Karl but she knew that they would never be the same … just as she doubted that things with her mother would ever go back to how they were.

But they would just take it one small step at a time and see where they ended up.

---

Ryan woke a short time later. It was as if they were so perfectly attuned to one another that they could sense when the other was awake.

"Hey." He said gently leaning in and placing a delicate kiss on the tip of her nose. "What are you doing awake so early?"

"I'm not really sure. I guess that I'm just excited about taking you to Venice and showing you around." She smiled. She actually knew exactly what she was excited about … and showing him around Venice wasn't it … but she had a feeling that he would forgive her for her little white lie … just this once.

"You really like it that much?" he asked.

"Uh huh. And I hope that you will too."

"So you don't like it here?" Ryan asked. He thought it was beautiful here and had been half hoping that she may have thought so to and that he would be able to convince her to stay another night. He didn't need to meet up with Roger until Monday so it would be fine with him if they didn't get to Venice until tomorrow.

"It's not that. It's lovely. I just can't wait to get to Venice." Marissa replied.

"So … I couldn't talk you in to staying here another day?" Ryan asked as he started to lightly trace circles on her stomach. "If you're scared that you'll be recognised then we could always just spend the day in bed." Ryan suggested a smile making it's way onto his face.

"Oh no you don't mister. It may be very nice here, but we're getting out of here … this morning. You promised. I'm taking you out tonight to somewhere very fancy and I need to look my best for you so I don't want to be arriving in Venice and then having to rush around to get ready. If we get there early enough I may even go and have my hair done for the occasion." She suggested hoping that she could buy herself a bit of alone time during which she'd be able to go and check on all the arrangements.

"So after dragging me there, you're going to go off and leave me to sight see all on my own anyhow?" Ryan asked.

"No. I don't want you sight seeing without me. I want to be the one to show you around." Marissa replied. "Isn't there something else that you could do to amuse yourself for a little while?" Marissa asked and then noticed the frown form on Ryan's face. "What's wrong? Surely you can manage a couple of hours without me?" she teased.

Ryan tried to smile but she could see the effort that it was taking him. "Of course."

"Ryan what is it?" Marissa asked unconvinced by his words. She was starting to worry. She stroked the lines away that had formed on his forehead. It seemed that the closer they got to Venice the more hesitant he was about actually getting there. "Do you not want to go to Venice with me?" she asked now puzzled.

"No. I mean not no. Yes … it's just … I guess since you kidnapped me last Saturday and whisked me off into the French countryside I feel like I've been off in some dream world and I don't want it to end. With no internet … I haven't thought of work." He explained. "I can just imagine how many emails I must have waiting for me to answer. Annabel has no doubt figured that I've fallen off the end of the earth."

"I'm sure that's not true. She knows that you're on your honeymoon." Marissa replied.

Ryan nodded. "And then … "

"And then?" Marissa queried when he stopped talking.

"There's the problems with the Cohen's. I need to try to make things right with them all. But I don't know how. If Sandy didn't manage to get through to Seth then he may very well still be angry or even worse … by now he's probably sulking over the whole thing. I guess that I've been happy to just ignore it but I feel that once we're back in civilisation then the time has come to try to fix things."

Marissa now understood Ryan's hesitance about finally getting to Venice and she needed to find a way for him to get over it. "How about we get ourselves moving and then once we're in Venice you can give him a call. And you can check your emails as well. Then you can get everything under control while I'm off having my hair done. We'll sight see tomorrow. You can meet up with Roger on Monday and then we'll head back to the farmhouse on Tuesday. And you'll have everything under control before we go back. That way we'll be able to spend the last few days of our honeymoon totally stress free." She suggested.

"I guess that makes sense." Ryan agreed somewhat reluctantly. "I can't stay in my dream world forever."

Marissa smiled. She wondered if he would consider getting married again a dream? She certainly felt like it was. She leaned in to him for a kiss and said "You know we don't need to go right now. I think that we have time for a little something before we leave."

Ryan smiled. "What sort of something are you referring to? Food or some thing else?" he asked as he pulled her on top of him … his hands stroking her nakedness.

"Both." She replied as her lips met his.


	156. The arrival in Venice

**The arrival in Venice**

It was almost 3 o'clock as they drove through Mestra on the mainland side of the causeway to Venice. They were both feeling very hungry as they had skipped lunch all together. Ryan had suggested that they stop in Verona and get something to eat and even perhaps play tourist and go and check out Juliet's balcony but Marissa would have none of it. She had informed him that she wasn't leaving the car until they got to Venice. Ryan had reluctantly agreed … he didn't really have much choice since she was adamant … and so they had continued on.

Once they reached Mestra, Marissa called Cathy to tell them where they were and Cathy told them to continue on to the car park and she'd have Tony meet them there with the hotel's private launch. Marissa directed Ryan to continue on and go over the causeway and Ryan got his first glimpse of the waters of the lagoon with the island or more correctly islands in the distance. He was surprised by just how far out in to the lagoon the town actually stood. He couldn't help but wonder who would have ever decided to build something there in the first place? The causeway was over 3 miles long and as they got closer and closer, Marissa directed him to follow the signs to the Piazzale Roma car park and from there they would go by launch up the Grand Canal and to the hotel.

---

After the phone call Cathy was so excited she was running around in circles. She quickly dispatched Tony to collect Ryan and Marissa and then called Kirsten to let her know that the guests of honour had finally arrived in Venice and to get her to make sure that none of the other guests wandered out of their hotel for the next little while. At least until she gave the all clear. The last thing they needed was for Ryan to see one of their friends strolling along by one of the canals. It would give the game up completely.

For Cathy the day had dragged on terribly waiting for Ryan and Marissa. She had stood at the reception desk watching the time tick by … getting more and more anxious with each passing moment; scared that they would somehow get held up and all her great plans would be for nothing. She hadn't been able to go to the island and help with the decorations because she was scared that they would arrive when she was missing. But it looked like it may just actually come together.

The other wedding guests had all just recently returned from Burano where they had all been enlisted by Julie to help with the decorations in the church. Cathy hadn't seen it yet but she'd been assured by Kirsten that it was beautiful. The dress was hanging in a small room at the side of the chapel. The flowers had been delivered. The cake was ready and waiting. It seemed that there was nothing else to be done but for the bride and groom to actually get ready and turn up.

---

Ryan gazed around in wonder as Tony pointed out various points of interest along the way. Even though he'd seen Venice many times on television and in movies nothing had prepared Ryan for it and the feeling of the exuberance of life as the myriad of boats moved up and down the waterway. It almost seemed as if the city was floating … as if it had been built on top of the water … he was amazed. The Grand Canal was like a major freeway. There were boats of all shapes and sizes buzzing around and transporting people from one end of the town to the other. The water buses, water taxis and gondolas all vied for position and as Tony pulled the launch up to a halt for them to disembark by the hotel Ryan couldn't help but wish that the trip had taken longer.

Marissa smiled as she watched Ryan's expression change as each new bend in the canal brought something new. She had known that he would love it. The architecture was amazing. But even she hadn't been expecting the look of sheer joy that had taken residence on his face. He was like a small child in Fantasyland.

---

Cathy saw the boat pull up and ran to the door. She tried to remain cool calm and collected but it was a lost cause. As soon as Marissa had her feet firmly on land, Cathy couldn't help but launch her self at her friend and take her in a big hug almost knocking her back into the boat that she'd just left. She was just so excited that they were finally here. After being introduced to Ryan, who she also had to hug, (she figured he was a hunk so why not make the most of the opportunities that presented themselves) she escorted them inside and once all of the pleasantries had been exchanged she escorted them to their room, a magnificent suite on the top floor that looked over the Grand Canal towards the Piazza San Marco. Ryan stood at the window gazing out. He felt like he could stay there for months watching the constantly changing scene in front of him and he would never get bored. No wonder celebrated writers had often chosen Venice to take up residence. It was if the constant hubbub would always keep you stimulated. He imagined that wandering the streets it would be easy to lose yourself in the hustle and bustle of life around you.

Cathy was preparing to make her polite farewells knowing that the couple would want some time alone together but after Marissa informed her that they hadn't yet eaten, she offered to have a light snack brought up to the room. Not enough to spoil their dinner she assured them, but just enough to see them through until then.

Marissa thanked her and while Ryan was still busy looking out the window she leant in towards Cathy and whispered. "Is everything under control?"

Cathy nodded and gave the thumbs up.

Marissa smiled. She'd been trying to think positively that everything would all fall into place but until now she had been having her doubts. But if Cathy said that everything was okay then she knew that it was. "What time are our dinner reservations?" Marissa asked Cathy, this time in a voice loud enough for Ryan to hear.

"I made them for 6:30 but as you know it does take quite a while to get there. It's probably best if you're ready about 5:30 and then Tony should be able to get you there in plenty of time."

"Thanks." Marissa replied. "We'll be ready. I've been looking forward to this. I had been hoping to be here early enough to get my hair done. Do you think that is still possible or am I too late?" she asked trying to sound innocent.

"I'm sure that we could sort something out." Cathy replied realising from the look that Marissa was giving her that she was looking not only to have her hair done but also for a way to have some time away from Ryan to finalise all the plans.

Marissa smiled as Cathy nodded to acknowledge that she had picked up on Marissa's signal. Thank goodness that Ryan was still enchanted with the view below them or he may have realised that something was going on.

"Is there any chance of Ryan checking his email while I'm away? His laptop is still back in Paris and he'd like to check to see if anything important has come up at work while we've been away." Marissa asked.

Ryan turned as he heard his name mentioned and Cathy looked at him and laughed. "I'm not sure that I should let you near a computer. You're supposed to be on your honeymoon. Surely you can find better things to do?" she asked teasing them.

Marissa quickly replied. "Oh. Don't worry. We've been doing plenty of that. Haven't we?" she looked across at Ryan as he blushed.

Cathy may have been a good friend of Marissa's but to Ryan it seemed that she was talking about their love life to a stranger … although a very friendly stranger. "I think it's best if I don't answer that in case the evidence can be used against me." Ryan replied.

"Oh. Don't worry. The glow on Marissa's face is all the answer I need. Mind you the glow on your face right now is pretty cute too." Cathy teased as she made her way to the door. "I'll send up some food and a laptop … we've got a wireless network so you can just fire away" she informed Ryan and then turned to Marissa. "And whenever you're ready just come downstairs and we'll see what we can organise as far as your hair goes. I'll make a few calls." She added.

Marissa smiled. She knew that no calls would be needed. Cathy had been a hairdresser back in the states before she even came to Italy and met Tony. She would do Marissa 's hair in no time and Marissa would be able to catch up on all the arrangements at the same time. "Thanks, Cathy. I'll be down soon."

"Okay. Just don't leave it too long. Remember you have to be ready to leave by 5:30." Cathy remarked as she closed the door behind her.


	157. It's Time

**It's time**

5:30 came and as requested, Ryan and Marissa were making their way down to reception.

"Are you really sure that we need to go out to eat?" Ryan asked. "You know that seeing you dressed like that only makes me want to do other things. Couldn't we just get Cathy to send something up and we could just entertain ourselves in our room."

Marissa laughed. "NO! I've been planning this evening for too long now for you to just change your mind." She explained. "And what's wrong with what I'm wearing? I thought that you liked it on me." She enquired as she smoothed the delicate silk of the Chanel dress that he'd surprised her with in Las Vegas.

"I do like it on you. It's just that I like it even more off you." Ryan replied, the glimmer in his eye more than enough for her to know that even though she'd 'helped' him to get ready … he was still looking for more.

"You're insatiable." Marissa replied. "But I promise. Just be a good boy and come with me and I'll make it worth your while."

"I love to 'come' with you." Ryan said as his face broke into a huge grin and it shed years from his age. Marissa couldn't help but think that he still looked like the boy she'd first fell in love with all those years ago.

"I may even decide not to wear the dress for too long." Marissa teased knowing exactly what Ryan would think from her words. He'd think that they were going to rush dinner and return to their room and that then he was going to get lucky. But she was only telling the truth. As soon as they got to the church then she would be changing in to her wedding gown. But of course he didn't know that.

"Suddenly, I'm looking forward to this." Ryan replied.

Marissa laughed as they were met by Tony at the door. "Where's Cathy?" Marissa asked.

"She had some errands to run. She said to tell you that she'll see you later and to make sure you enjoyed yourselves this evening." Tony replied as he escorted them to the launch. Cathy had left 15 minutes earlier to make sure that the other guests were all safely at the church before Ryan and Marissa got there. While she had been doing Marissa's hair earlier, they had made the final plans as to how she wanted everything to play out.

---

The trip on the launch was spectacular. The sun was setting over the lagoon as they cleared the Grand Canal and made their way passed a number of other islands. Ryan chatted pleasantly with Tony on the way as the local pointed out all the places of interest including the island of Murano, famous for its hand blown glass. Marissa was surprised by just how intrigued Ryan was by everything that was going on around him. Even though he had been reluctant to leave their room, now that he was outside it was obvious that he couldn't get enough of Venice and its surroundings. Marissa had chosen to shelter inside the cabin of the boat because she didn't want the breeze off the water to mess her hair up too much but she told Ryan to stay outside and enjoy the view. She certainly was … as she watched the play of emotions on his face as the fairytale world opened up before him and she tried with little success to calm the butterflies in her stomach. After about 15 minutes they finally arrived at Burano and pulled in to a wharf that had several fishing boats moored to it that had finished for the day. No doubt they would be out bright and early the next morning. But by then all sorts of things would have changed for them.

---

Once Ryan and Marissa were on dry land again, Marissa took Ryan's hand and led him through the narrow streets of the picturesque village. He was enchanted by the multicoloured buildings just as she knew he would be. They hesitated at an intersection and Marissa pulled Ryan around the corner.

"Where are you taking me now?" he asked because he could see that the commercial area with the small shops and restaurants was in the other direction.

Marissa smiled. "There's a beautiful church down here that I think you need to see." She replied.

Ryan looked ahead and could indeed see a church ahead of them but there were a couple of people and a small child standing outside talking to the priest. "Marissa. It looks like there is something on there. I don't think that we should interrupt. Perhaps we can come back later when they have all gone."

"No. It will be too dark later. You need to see it now. I'm sure that no one will mind." She said as she pulled him closer.

Ryan squinted as he looked towards the church and in to the fading sun. "I really don't think that we should be doing this. They look like they are busy." He said just as the small child broke away from the three adults and started to run towards them.

Marissa smiled.

But Ryan frowned as he noticed the adults all look up surprised and start down the few stairs after the child. Ryan was concerned. There were small canals running here, there and everywhere. It wasn't the place for a small child to be running about unattended. What if she couldn't swim and she fell into one of them? He decided that he would have to get involved since she was running towards them. He would be able to intercede and hold the little girl until her parents caught up with her but just as he moved to try to step in front of her he realised that she was coming straight for him. He blinked again … thinking that the sun in his eyes was playing tricks on him … only to be startled by the shrill voice of the little girl as her arms flew around his legs and she called out. "Wyan."

Ryan shook his head thinking that the sun in his eyes must have been playing games with his hearing as well. "Em?" he asked still totally disbelieving what his eyes and ears were telling him.

"Who else would it be silly?" Emily replied.

"But how … what …?" Ryan started only to look over at Marisa as he lifted the small girl into his arms.

Marissa smiled.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as Summer and Seth finally caught up to them.

"I'm going to be your flower girl." Emily said proudly." And then I get to be their flower girl later." She went on to explain. "And I get another new dress for that wedding. Do you like my dress Ryan? It matches Summer's. And Mummy said that I look beautiful and …"

Ryan could barely take in what she was saying. He looked to Marissa as if looking for a life line. He needed someone to help him make sense of all of this.

But all she did was smile. An enigmatic smile.

Marissa could feel her heart hammering in her chest. But there was part of her that felt like a silent observer. It seemed that she had spent so long planning this … going over and over it in her mind … that now that it was really happening it was as if she was still just watching it unfold in her mind. Not that it was finally … really … happening.

"Sorry about that. It looks like we'll need to go into training before we consider having one of our own." Seth said.

Ryan looked back at Seth and Summer who were still standing before him. "What … what are you doing here?" he stammered.

Seth smiled. "It seems that there's a wedding on here today" He said as he revealed a small box in his hand and opened it to take out the small dark pink rose bud to place in Ryan's buttonhole. "and there was no way that we were going to miss out on it a second time."

Summer smiled. "I just have to kidnap your wife for a few minutes to get her ready." She said as she took Marissa's hand. "And you need to come with me too young lady." Summer added as she took Emily from Ryan. "We'll see you inside soon."

"Marissa?" Ryan said as she silently followed Summer a huge smile on her face and as she turned to him he asked. "What's going on?"

She couldn't help but laugh out loud at his obvious confusion. "Just shut up and do as you're told for once." She laughed. "I'll see you inside." She said as she almost broke into a run heading for the church. Now that it was really happening she couldn't wait.

---

Seth guided Ryan who was still shaking his head in disbelief, around to the side entrance to the church but stopped before they entered. "We should probably give them a few minutes. I gather your wife wants to get changed. Women and their clothes … I mean what's wrong with a basic black tux … you can't go wrong … it's never out of place and … " Seth started to babble as only Seth could and Ryan felt the need for some answers.

"Seth."

Seth stopped for a moment in mid babble. "What?"

"What are you doing here? Hell … what am I doing here?" he asked.

Seth shook his head. "And you're supposed to be the smart one? I've tried to tell the old guy that they'd made a mistake with those test scores but would he listen? …. Noooo … Even I could work out what's going on here … "

"Seth !!!" Ryan said more insistently.

"What? You're getting married and I'm THE best man. Somehow or other that just seems SOoooo right. I've always known that I was the best man but I'm not sure that you've accepted it. But it must be right. Because I have the wedding rings right here in my pocket. Aren't you proud of me?" he asked.

Ryan frowned. "What wedding rings?


	158. The wedding rings

**The wedding rings**

Seth pulled the rings from his pocket as he chatted on. "These. Are you proud of me that I haven't lost them?" he asked as he opened the box. "Of course Summer was the one …"

Ryan heard Seth's words but they faded off as he looked down at the matching pair of beautiful diamond bands, instantly recognising them from their visit to Tiffany's in LA when Marissa had picked out her promise ring.

He remembered exactly the moment when he'd seen them. They had been looking at the promise rings and then Ryan had turned to look in another display case and there they were. Marissa had followed him and instantly she had been attracted by the same thing. They had both noticed them but it had seemed to be much too early in their relationship to even consider talking about anything as permanent as marriage. Ryan had already known then that he wanted Marissa for his wife … hell … he'd thought about it from the first time he'd seen her at the end of the Cohen's driveway … but he'd been worried that he would scare her off if he'd even mentioned marriage at that early point. They'd only just gotten back together … and they had Julie's arrival in L.A. to deal with. He smiled … and yet it was only a day later on the Cohen's driveway that he had actually proposed … so much for giving her time and not rushing her.

Thinking back he remembered that after seeing these bands he had looked up and his eyes had met Marissa's over the display case. He guessed that he had always known that the look they exchanged at that point … had been them silently committing themselves to one another … without either having to say a word he had known from that day forward that they wanted to spend their lives together. He blinked as his mind refocused on what was happening and he realised that Seth was still jabbering on.

"… so they'd better be the right ones. If they aren't then it's not my fault because …"

"Seth." Ryan interrupted him. "They are the right ones. But how?"

"Weren't you listening to me? I just told you. Marissa asked Summer to go to the manager at Tiffany's and get them. Marissa knew exactly what she wanted. The girl must have been scoping them out already waiting until she could trap you and get you to give in and marry her."

Ryan pulled one of Marissa's enigmatic smiles as he looked at Seth.

Seth laughed. "It doesn't look like you held out for too long. Where's your resistance man? Look how long I held out? Years. Surely you could have done better."

"I'm exactly where I want to be." Ryan assured Seth. "But I still can't believe that you're here … and that this is really happening. I mean … how did you even know that we'd be here?"

Seth shrugged. "Your wife. She said that she wanted to do something special for you. And hell … I may have been angry with you but I wasn't going to miss out a second time."

"Yeah about that … I'm sorry. I … I mean we … didn't ever mean to leave you out of things. We just wanted to make the commitment to one another so there would be no more doubts. But with the paparazzi … and not wanting to upset your wedding plans … it seemed like a good idea … that obviously wasn't." Ryan tried to explain.

"Don't worry. I'm sorry I reacted like a spoilt child and didn't hear you out when you tried to explain but the old man sort of made me see sense. It was either that or he was going to give me a clip around the ear. But today we'll make everything right. Come on. We'd better go inside. I don't want you to be late for your second wedding." Seth said leading the way to the side door to the church and then turned and asked. "Where you on time for your first?"

Ryan thought back to what had happened in the court house in Las Vegas and the sleazy characters that had played a part in it. "The first time was unusual to say the least. But I'll tell you about it later. Right now I have no intention of missing even a minute of this." He said as he urged Seth to continue on inside.

---

Cathy had just finished putting the final touches to Marissa's hair and she stood back to admire her handiwork. She smiled. "You look beautiful … even if I do say so myself." She said softly just as Summer and Emily entered the room.

"We've got the flowers." Emily chanted as Summer stopped dead in her tracks.

"Whoa Coop. You look amazing." Summer blinked as if she was trying to refocus. "I mean I always thought you were pretty great to look at … for a girl, I mean. I mean I was never interested like that … even if you were that way inclined for a while … but I mean …" Summer chatted on. Summer had never been speechless in her life. Marissa knew that getting her to aimlessly ramble on like Seth did was as close as you'd ever get to it and right now she was having all sorts of trouble finding the words to express herself and she finally came out with "Holy cow … you look freaking … amazing. Chino's not going to know what hit him."

"You think?" Marissa asked as she ran her hands reverently over the beautiful white dress ... the long Venetian lace gloves that matched the bodice of her dress only adding to the other worldliness of the moment.

"You look like a princess." Emily remarked enchanted and they all laughed as the moment was broken.

Marissa looked into the mirror and for a moment was startled by what she saw. But it wasn't the dress or the veil or the creamy expanses of her shoulders that surprised her but the look of absolute bliss in her eyes. It was there clearly for anyone to see. She was about to many the man of her dreams and nothing would ever come between them again. She thought that her heart would burst with joy. She took one last look and then turned just as there was a knock at the door and James poked his head in.

"Is it safe?" he asked.

"Yes. Come on in." Marissa replied.

"Okay I will be just a minute." He stood with the door ajar. "I want to get a few shots of the bride before she cruelly marries the man of my dreams and races off into the sunset with him … only to leave me a poor heartbroken …"

"James. Just give up with it. You know that Ryan was never going to return your affections." Marissa stated plainly … a smile on her face to soften her words.

"Well what chance did I have when you look like that? Life really isn't fair." He said and then frowned a little and added. "And speaking of fair … your mother has asked to speak to you before the ceremony." He explained. "I didn't know what to say. She's waiting just outside."


	159. The guests

**The guests**

Seth held the door open for Ryan to enter before him … and Ryan's eyes were instantly drawn to the magnificence of the vaulted ceiling of the 6th century church. It took his breath away as he gazed at the beautiful handiwork of the artisans that had created it but then as he moved his head to look around inside he almost fell over. Fortunately Seth was bringing up the rear and could steady him before Ryan's legs gave out completely.

Ryan blinked not really daring to believe his own eyes. He'd expected the church to be empty but instead staring back at him were many special people. There in front of him in the first row of pews sat Sandy & Kirsten. Sandy was grinning from ear to ear as he took in the sight of this young man who had become such an important part of their family while Kirsten looked to be barely holding it together. She was attempting to smile at him but you could see that she was on the verge of tears. This boy that she had come to love as her very own was going to marry the woman of his dreams. She was happy for him … and yet she couldn't stop the tears from escaping at the same time as her emotions threatened to boil over. Ryan took this in and quickly made his way to her side.

"Hey." He said softly.

Kirsten tried to smile at him as she furiously wiped at her eyes. "Hey." She replied.

"Don't cry." He asked.

"I'm not. I'm happy for you." She said still swatting at her leaking eyes.

"I can't be happy if you're crying ..." Ryan said and then paused a moment and then added. " … Mom."

Kirsten was startled and instantly stopped crying. "What did you say?"

Ryan smiled. "I said that I can't be happy if you're crying." He explained.

"No not that. What else did you say?" she asked almost scared to believe that it wasn't a figment of her imagination. She had wished for so long that Ryan might finally decide to call her Mom but she had never asked. She would never have pressured him into it. She knew that when and if he ever felt right about it … that he would do it of his own accord. He would need no prompting from her when he was ready, when he felt the time was right.

"You mean … the Mom bit?" Ryan smiled.

She nodded still unsure what it all meant or if he was just teasing her. Her emotions were already all over the place. Maybe she was just misreading things.

"I hope that's okay?" Ryan asked and then he felt a little unsure. "I mean I know that rightfully only Seth can call you that but it's just that I have always thought of you … I mean you mean more to me … I mean …"

Kirsten interrupted. "Of course it's okay. It's better than okay. Don't you ever call me Kirsten again." She laughed through her tears.

"I think that I can manage that." Ryan replied and then looked up at Sandy who had been silently watching the interaction between his wife and their adopted son, his heart pounding in his chest. "And if it's okay I thought I might call you Dad?"

Sandy smiled and then started to get a little concerned that Kirsten's watery eyes were contagious. "I'd be honoured." He gulped and then knew that he had to move or he was going to be wiping at his eyes too. "I need to go and see if that wife of yours is ready yet."

Ryan nodded. He gave Kirsten a hug and then looked up at the other faces in the church. Behind Kirsten sat Skip and a very attractive blonde. Ryan reached his hand across in greeting. "Hi. You must be Cait?"

She returned the hand shake. "Uh huh. And you must be Ryan. I've heard quite a bit about you." She teased.

Ryan laughed. "If it's from him." He indicated Skip with a tilt of his head. "then it's probably all lies."

"He told me you'd say that." She laughed.

Ryan turned to Skip. "You've brainwashed her already?"

"I couldn't have her getting the wrong idea about me or she might not have had anything more to do with me." Skip replied.

"You mean the right idea? It sounds like you've taken a few liberties with the truth." Ryan suggested.

"I assure you that's not all I've taken a few liberties with." Skip said raising his eyebrows at Cait.

She blushed a bright red. "Skip! Do you mind?"

"Not at all. In fact I thoroughly enjoy it." He replied.

Ryan laughed at the two in front of him. He could see that they were meant for each other. Behind them sat Keith and Cheryl. Ryan had to shake his head again to clear it. The thought that all these people were here, in Venice, to see Marissa and he get married was just amazing. His wife was amazing. When Emily had flung herself at his legs outside he had been dumbfounded. But that feeling was only increasing by the minute. Ryan moved to greet them.

"How are you doing?" he asked Cheryl.

"Not great. But much better than the last time you saw me." she smiled.

"That's good to hear. I hope the trip didn't take too much out of you?"

"I had my personal carer looking after me." she replied smiling as she looked over shyly at Keith. It was obvious that there was some connection there. But just how much, it was still too early to tell. Maybe with time these two would also be able to find happiness together.

Ryan laughed and turned to Keith. "So you've had a promotion? How am I ever going to get you back to work?"

"Just say the word. You know that I'll be there." And Keith realised that he had never spoken a truer word. He may not have known Ryan for very long but he hoped that they would be friends for life. He was the sort of guy that Keith would have wanted in the trenches with him back in his time when he was fighting in Afghanistan. A loyal and true friend. Sure he was caring for Cheryl and Emily right now but he hoped that when Ryan and Marissa returned that he would be able to find a balance between work and his 'new family'.

"Well you do realise that besides Marissa and I, you are the only person here that attended our first wedding?" Ryan suggested.

Keith laughed. "I hadn't really thought about it. But this is quite a bit different. The other was … great … if maybe a little unorthodox. This looks a lot more ... traditional." He replied as he gazed around the beautiful church.

Ryan followed his gaze and said. "You're right. And I think that I prefer this … No blackmail required." He laughed.

"True." Keith answered.

Ryan looked across the aisle of the church at Emma who was sitting quietly on her own and he moved across to talk to her. "Hey. How did you get here?" he asked. "Obviously not by car." He added.

"No." she laughed. "James and I flew here last night."

Ryan quickly looked around for James. It wasn't that he was scared of him. It was just … he was a little intimidated by James's blatant attentions. "Where is he?"

"He's off playing photographer. He'll be back soon." She replied.

Ryan took in that information and couldn't help but be a little concerned about the ramifications. He'd seen James pose the models for photo shoots and if he put his hands on Ryan in some of the places that he'd seen him put them on the girls … well let's just say that things could get very very uncomfortable for both of them. "O kay." Ryan said still very unsure about the whole 'James as photographer concept' but he tried to put it out of his mind … at least for now. "I wanted to thank you for the use of your car. It's been great."

"That's fine. I really don't use it very much anyhow. Parking is so difficult in Paris it's almost easier to leave it at home and get a cab. I know that it isn't very big but it suits me for anything that I want to do."

"It's more than big enough for 2 people." Ryan said and then thinking about what had happened beside Lake Geneva he couldn't help but add. "and anything they might want to do." He couldn't help but break into a huge smile at the thought.

Emma watched his grin and then the realisation set in of what he was implying. "You didn't?"

"Didn't what?" he asked trying to look innocent.

"Um..." she wondered how to put it. "Christen my car?" she asked.

"Um … maybe." He replied now looking somewhat shamefaced about the admission.

"But you're on your honeymoon." Emma stated.

"Exactly." Ryan explained. "What did you expect us to do?"

"I expected that you would have been too shagged out at the farmhouse to bother going and doing it in my car."

"Ah. But you see it's quite a way from France to Italy." Ryan explained.

"Balderdash! It's like 5 hours. Can't you even wait that long?"

Ryan shrugged. "Guess not. If it helps I promise to give the car a thorough clean before we return it."

Emma laughed starting to see the funny side to it. "Maybe I shouldn't complain. You two are so famous I could probably sell it on Ebay and make a fortune if I could just prove exactly what went on there." She teased. "You didn't happen to leave a condom behind with your DNA or anything did you?"

Ryan was stunned. "I'm sure we didn't." he replied knowing that they didn't use condoms. But he didn't like the idea of 'their' car ever ending up in anyone else's hands. "But I've just decided that I'll buy you a new car. We'll keep this one to use when we're in Paris."

"You don't have to do that. I was just teasing." Emma replied.

"I know. But I'd like to do it. This one must be a couple of years old so I'm sure you won't complain about a new one and the fact is … that I'd sort of like to keep it … just for the memories." He said.

"Wow. So it was that good? Even in a confined space?" she teased.

"You have no idea." Ryan replied trying to get some of his own back. "So if you don't mind is that okay with you?"

Emma shrugged. "Who am I to knock back a new car?" she laughed. Now that she knew how wealthy Ryan was … who was she to complain?

Ryan turned to Tony who was sitting in the seat in front of Emma. He had obviously over heard the exchange between the two of them. He looked at Ryan and said. "If you want to do it in the launch on the way back then feel free. I could always use a new boat." He laughed.

"No such luck." Ryan replied. "However if you want to sell the hotel then I'd be interested."

Tony shook his head. "No way. We're much too happy there."

"Speaking of which … where's your lovely wife?" Ryan asked.

"She's helping Marissa get ready. You do know that she's hairdresser?" Tony said.

Ryan looked surprised … realising that he'd been had … yet again. "No. I didn't know that. So … I gather that the visit to the hairdressers this afternoon …" he started.

Tony nodded. "Yep. Coffee in our kitchen while they went over the final plans."

Ryan shook his head amazed that all this had taken place and he'd had no inkling whatsoever that anything was going on.

He moved to the stranger sitting on his own in the front pew. "Dan?" he asked.

"Ryan … I'm pleased to finally meet you." The maturely handsome man replied.

"I'm sorry." Ryan shook his head. "I'm still having some trouble even believing that all this is true. I feel like I'm stuck in a dream somewhere."

Dan laughed. "It's no dream. I have to admit that I didn't know until about 15 minutes ago that we were coming to a wedding. Julie had told me that we were coming to Venice to meet you and Marissa but not that there was going to be a wedding. You do realise what the paparazzi would pay for information about this?"

"Maybe that's why Julie didn't tell you." Ryan suggested realising that he owed her a debt of gratitude if indeed they managed to pull this off without any member of the press being any the wiser.

Dan mused. "You may be right. It would have been very difficult for me not to say anything. But she's even confiscated my cell phone. Apparently Marissa swore that if the news got out that she would hold Julie personally responsible."

Ryan laughed. "It's good to know that Julie cared enough to go along with it."

"Let me assure you … Julie cares." Dan commented.

"So is she any better then?" Ryan asked.

"Much. Ever since Marissa rang the other day and asked us here she has been a different woman. I have to thank you for helping get them both back together."

"It wasn't really me. Marissa just needed some time to think it all through." Ryan said.

"Hmm. That may be so but I'd love to know sometime, exactly what caused the rift in the first place." Dan asked.

"You'll have to get that information from Julie. I think perhaps it is better left in the past." Ryan replied.


	160. The offering

_A/N Just thought I should give you an update - only 2 chapters to go after this. And thanks again to my loyal few who bother to let me know that they are still enjoying it._

****

**The Offering**

Marissa stood in shock as the smile slowly left her face. Part of her didn't even want to take the risk of having Julie upset her day. What would her mother want with her? Should she even give her a chance? Perhaps she should just get James to send her away?

Summer watched the light fade from Marissa's eyes. "I'll get rid of her if you like?" Summer offered.

Marissa hesitated for a moment and then said. "No. Let's see what she wants. But maybe … if you wouldn't mind … could you stay with me? If she is looking for a fight then I might need you to conjure up a rage blackout on my behalf. I won't let her spoil this for us."

Summer laughed. "Consider it done. Rage blackout on the way."

"No. Just keep it on the backburner until I see if it's required." Marissa instructed … wanting to avoid any unpleasantness if possible. Now that she'd made the decision she felt empowered by it ... even if she had asked Summer to act as back up just in case.

"Okay. But I hope that it doesn't end up going to waste." Summer laughed. "I've been looking forward to giving her a piece of my mind ever since I found out what she did."

James quickly perked up and asked. "Exactly what did she do? I've been wondering what went on between you two."

Summer looked to Marissa thinking that it was Marissa's news to share.

Marissa thought for a moment and then spoke to James and Cathy. "It's not something I want to get into right now … but safe to say … without her interference … this wedding would probably have taken place years ago."

They both looked surprised. "Oh." Was all James could reply. He desperately wanted to know more but he could see that Marissa had no intention of revealing anything else to them, at least not today. Maybe sometime in the future he would be able to get it out of her.

Marissa looked back at Cathy and James and asked. "Do you mind giving us a minute?"

"Of course not." Cathy replied moving towards the door. She could see that Marissa needed some privacy. "And Emily … how about you come with us? We'll go and check if they are all ready outside."

Emily looked to Marissa, who smiled and said. "I'll just be a minute. You go with Cathy and make sure that Ryan's ready."

Emily happily left with Cathy to go check on Ryan.

A few moments later Julie knocked on the door.

"Come in." Marissa said trying to sound calm even if the butterflies in her stomach had just changed into large furry bats.

Julie opened the door to find her daughter looking more beautiful than she had ever seen her. And it wasn't just the dress. Marissa had a glow about her that Julie had never seen before. She was momentarily stuck for words.

After a few seconds of silence that seemed to go on forever Marissa cracked. "What do you want?" she asked straightforwardly. She wasn't about to pretend that she expected this to be a pleasant conversation.

Julie looked towards Summer wondering if she was going to leave and follow Cathy and James … and Marissa added. "Summer's staying … so if you have something to say then you'd better just come right out with it. I don't want to keep my husband waiting."

Julie gulped realising that she had no alternative other than to proceed … with an audience. Marissa obviously had no intention of giving her any time alone so she may as well get on with it. She lifted her hand towards Marissa and said "I just thought that you may have wanted to wear this?" Julie said and for the first time Marissa noticed the small box that Julie had in her hand.

"What is it?" Marissa asked timidly … all her bravado suddenly deserting her. She was unsure about taking it from Julie's hand. It was as if she was scared that it would bite.

Julie opened the jewellery case and pulled out a magnificent diamond and sapphire necklace. "I don't know if you remember it but you always loved it as a child. It belonged to your father's mother and he gave it to me just before he left the last time. I sold most of my jewellery but I couldn't bring myself to part with this. It had been in his family too long. I think it actually belonged to your great grandmother."

Marissa looked at the beautiful necklace and memories of her childhood came flooding back. Wonderful memories of spending time with her father at his parents house before they had died. She would sit with his mother … her gran … on her bed and look through all her jewellery boxes and her grandmother would patiently tell her stories about each and every piece. It was on one of these occasions when she'd learnt the true meaning of the Cladaugh Ring from her grandmother and she remembered admiring this particular necklace often. She'd always said that it looked like something a princess would wear … maybe … just as Emily had said … it was her day to be a princess.

"I just thought …" Julie started "…. It could be your something old, something borrowed and something blue all at once." She suggested.

Marissa looked at her mother and their eyes held and in that moment all their problems disappeared … at least for the present … they would deal with them later … Julie was her mother and Marissa was happy that she was there.

"I just …" Julie shrugged still unsure of herself "… thought you might like it since it has a link to your father. I know that he would have loved to be here. For all his faults … there was never a doubt that he loved you."

Marissa nodded. It was the first time that she had thought about her father for quite some time … and she knew that what her mother said was the truth.

"And … " Julie looked up at Marissa and gained strength from the connection that she felt. "I also wanted to say that I was sorry for what happened back when … " she started and then stopped. "… for what I did ... " she couldn't find the right words to express herself so she just gave up and said. "I always wanted you to be happy." She offered up.

Marissa looked at her mother wondering if she was telling the truth. It would be a long time before she would accept anything that Julie said at face value again. "I am … and always have been … happy with Ryan."

Julie nodded. "I can see that now. And I'm sorry. I hope that you will … in time … forgive me." Julie asked. "I'll do anything I can to make things right between us again."

Marissa considered Julie's words and wasn't sure what to say when Summer nudged her from behind. Marissa turned and Summer leaned in to whisper in her ear. Marissa's face broke into a huge smile and she turned back to her mother. This would be a good test to see if her mother was telling the truth. "Did you say that you would do ANYTHING?" she asked.

Julie gulped. She had no idea what Marissa had in mind but she didn't think that she was going to like it because from the looks on Marissa and Summer's face – they were enjoying the thought just too much for it to be very pleasant for her. But then what choice did she have. Marissa was her only child and she would have to do ANYTHING if they were ever to have a chance of getting back to the way they were. She nodded reluctantly. "Yes … " she gulped not sure whether she dared ask. "What do you want?"

---

Sandy knocked on the door. "How's things going in there?" he asked.

"Come in Sandy." Marissa replied as Summer opened the door to him.

"Whoa. Don't you look beautiful? Ryan's a lucky guy." Sandy said looking at Marissa as he walked in to the room and then faltering a little as he realised that Julie was in there as well.

"Yes he is." Julie added.

"I'm the one that's lucky." Marissa assured them and watched as the smile on Sandy's face grew wider at her words.

"I won't argue with that either. You're both lucky to have found one another." He added diplomatically not wanting to appear to have favourites.

"AGAIN." Summer added and glared at Julie as the four occupants of the room all exchanged glances. She had been patiently waiting for her chance to tell Julie what she thought of her but it was looking more and more like that would not happen.

The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife as they all thought back to Julie's lies and the years of misery that Ryan and Marissa had endured because of them.

"I was wondering if you're nearly ready." Sandy asked hoping to ease the tension in the room.

Marissa smiled. "I think James just wants to get a couple of photos and then we should be good to go. Plus my mother has … " Marissa smiled as she watched Julie squirm "… kindly offered to help us."

Sandy looked at Julie surprised. He knew that Julie was trying to make amends with Marissa but he couldn't imagine what Marissa was referring too. It was obvious from the looks on Summer and Marissa's faces that they were up to something. Plus Julie's discomfit spoke volumes itself. "Um … do I even want to know?"

"I guess you'd better." Marissa said smiling and then looked to her mother. "Thank you for the loan of the necklace. I really do appreciate it. It was very thoughtful of you. But now, you'd better go and take your place out there. And if you wouldn't mind telling James that I'm ready for the photos then we'll be able to get this show on the road. I can't wait." She said excitedly.

Julie nodded. "Sure. I'll see you outside." She said sounding more like she was going to her own funeral.


	161. The ceremony

_A/N One left after this. I hope that you've all enjoyed it. _

**The Ceremony**

Julie spoke to James and then headed back to her seat in the front row on the left of the church. As she got closer she realised that Ryan was talking with Dan. She hesitated not sure if she was ready to talk to Ryan just yet. The last time she'd spoken to him had been when he'd come to see her at the Mermaid and she'd made a move on him. She blushed at the thought and considered turning around and heading back up the aisle again but just as she was about to do so Ryan looked up and their eyes met … too late now she thought … she had no where to escape to … so she slowly continued down the aisle until she was right beside him.

Ryan nodded slightly. "Julie." Ryan said as he stood aside to allow her to sit down beside Dan.

She returned the greeting. "Ryan."

"I'm pleased to see that you came." Ryan said.

Julie was surprised by his words. "My daughter's getting married. Of course I came. Where did you think that I'd be?" she started. She was starting to get cross. Ryan may not have been looking for a fight but right now Julie was feeling like giving him one. After what Marissa had asked her to do …. AND she had no choice but to agree ….

Dan took her hand. "Julie! I don't think that Ryan meant anything by it. Please don't make a scene?" he asked.

Julie nodded but glared at Ryan who was taken aback but he smiled at Dan to show his appreciation of Dan's interceding. Obviously Julie still wasn't a fan of his but she was just going to have to get used to it because he intended to spend the rest of his life with her daughter.

Seth came up and touched him lightly on the arm. "Ryan? We need to take our places. They're about ready."

Ryan nodded and then turned to Dan and Julie. "Excuse me. It seems I'm needed elsewhere. I'll talk to you later." He indicated to Dan. Somehow he felt that Julie wouldn't care if he never spoke to her again.

Dan nodded and Ryan moved to take his place at the front of the church. He knew that he still had a lot of work to do to gain Julie's acceptance but that would have to wait until later. Right now he had more important things to do. He was getting married.

The priest was now waiting and he smiled at Ryan and then motioned to the organist to start the wedding processional. As the strains of the beautiful organ filled the church Ryan looked at the priest who nodded to him with a smile as the ceremony began.

---

As the sounds of the organ filled the church Cathy positioned Emily at the end of the aisle and said softly. "Now … do you remember what you have to do?"

Emily nodded. "I walk … SLOWLY and I throw the flowers. Right?"

Cathy nodded. She really was a cute little girl. "That's right. Now I'm going to go and sit down the front. You wait until you see me sit down then you can start. Okay?"

"Okay." Emily nodded.

As soon as Cathy sat down then Emily looked towards Summer who nodded and Emily grinned and then started her slow walk down the aisle scattering the rose petals at her feet as she went.

Summer looked to Marissa a tear in her eye. "You ready Coop?"

Marissa nodded. "I think I've been waiting for this moment my whole life." She said as Summer nodded and then slowly started down the aisle behind Emily.

Sandy and Marissa waited a few moments and then Sandy asked. "All set?"

"Uh huh. Thanks for doing this for me." she said.

"I'm the one who should be thanking you. It's an honour." Sandy replied. "I'm sorry that your father isn't here. I know that he would have loved to be."

"Maybe. But he gave up the right when he deserted us. You have been more of a father to me than he ever was. He only wanted to be there in the good times and then deserted us in the bad when we needed him most." Marissa explained. "I'd rather just remember him from when I was small before he helped to destroy our family."

Sandy nodded. He couldn't very well disagree with her.

"He was a spoilt child who never grew up and couldn't accept responsibility. You know that he frittered away all his inheritance? And it wasn't a small inheritance that his parents left him?"

"Yes I know." Sandy said not really wanting to talk about it at this point. He was sure that there would be some other more appropriate time to talk about the strengths and weaknesses of Jimmy Cooper. But he sensed that Marissa wanted to get it off her chest. And then he realised that it was her way of trying to distract herself from the emotions that were threatening to boil over inside. They had now left the small room where she had gotten changed and were now standing at the end of the aisle. Summer was a few meters ahead and it was their turn to start.

"If I can just give you a few words of advice that my mother gave me?" Sandy asked hoping to change the subject.

"Sure." Marissa replied.

He smiled. "Just remember … be sweethearts … be lovers … but most of all be friends."

Marissa hesitated as the words sunk in and then smiled. "That I can do."

Sandy smiled as he indicated Ryan waiting impatiently at the front of the church "Okay. Let's go. Your groom awaits."

"You mean my husband." Marissa corrected.

Sandy laughed. "Sorry. I keep forgetting."

"It's okay. This feels like the first time anyway." She said and then looked down the aisle at the back of the man she loved more than life itself just as he turned and their eyes met.

The earth stood still.

---

Ryan had just acknowledged Summer arriving beside him and he turned to see how far away Marissa was and when he saw her she literally took his breath away. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest as she got slowly nearer … the smile on her face proof enough that she was happy … more than happy … she was … joyous. The lump in his throat built to a size that he didn't think that he would ever be able to swallow again and he felt the tears build in his eyes. She was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen. She was his princess … his life. And as she came to stand beside him he could see that she was equally moved by the occasion.

He tried to smile … hoping that it might help to move the lump in his throat.

Marissa … his Marissa was standing beside him and she was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen in his life. He was trying to concentrate on what the priest was saying but so many things were running through his mind. How did he get to this point? How did the boy from Chino … whose life had seemed to be going no where … end up here? He was a successful business man and architect and more importantly he was marrying the woman of his dreams … his soul mate. He glanced over at Sandy who was quietly whispering to Marissa. Ryan knew that he would never be able to repay Sandy for what he had done for him. He had helped make all Ryan's dreams come true. And Ryan hadn't even known what they were at the time.

Ryan pulled himself back into the present and tried to focus on what the priest was saying just in time to hear him ask. "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" Ryan waited … thinking that Sandy would say something … but the silence lengthened. Ryan frowned as he looked to Sandy who shrugged and moved back to sit with Kirsten. Ryan looked at Marissa concerned … but she was just smiling broadly, obviously unconcerned about the lengthening silence and then he heard a quiet voice come from behind.

"I do."

Ryan turned around stunned. Surely that could not have been who he thought it was. But as he saw the ashen colour of Julie's face he knew that it was. They linked eyes and he knew just what it must have taken for her to say that. After everything that she'd done over the years to keep them apart … for her to be the one giving Marissa's hand in marriage to Ryan just didn't make sense. But then he looked at his wife who was grinning from ear to ear and it all fell in to place. Obviously Marissa was exacting some of her own revenge on her mother and Ryan had to smile. If this was all it took to get back into Marissa's good books then he thought that Julie was probably getting off lightly. He turned back to the priest who acknowledged Julie's comment and then moved on.

"Dearly Beloved, We are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this company, to join together this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony, which is an honourable estate, instituted by God, and therefore, is not by any to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, discreetly and advisedly, and in the fear of God. Into this holy estate, these two persons present come now to be joined. If any man or woman can show just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together, let them speak now, or else forever hold their peace."

Ryan held his breath wondering if Julie was going to speak again. But silence ensued … well almost silence … Kirsten's sniffles were apparent but that was all … and the priest continued. "Ryan … Wilt thou have this woman to be thy wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance, in the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honour and keep her, in sickness and in health; forsaking all others so long as you both shall live?"

Ryan smiled as he looked at Marissa and the lump in his throat disappeared completely. He'd never been surer of anything in his life. "I will." He answered loud and proud.

Marissa couldn't help but giggle. Her emotions seemed to be about to overflow she was so happy.

The priest continued. "Marissa … Wilt thou have this man to be thy wedded husband, to live together after God's ordinance, in the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love him, comfort him, honour and keep him, in sickness and in health; forsaking all others so long as you both shall live?"

"I will." Marissa answered just as strongly as her husband.

The priest turned the prayer book towards them and then asked "Ryan would you care to make your vows?"

Ryan glanced briefly at the book in front of him and then turned to Marissa. "I Ryan take thee Marissa to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part."

The priest nodded and then turned to Marissa who had already started without prompting. She couldn't wait. "I Marissa take thee Ryan to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part." She smiled as she realised just how quickly she had rushed through it and the priest laughed at her eagerness.

He turned to Seth and asked. "Do you have the rings?"

Seth pulled them from his pocket and placed them on the prayer book that the priest offered.

"Ryan, if you could take the ring you are going to give to your wife and place it on her finger and then repeat after me: With this ring, I thee wed." The priest instructed.

Ryan did so and then the priest turned to Marissa and she followed suit.

The priest then said "Bless, oh Lord, the rings, that each who gives it, and each who wears it may abide in thy peace. Those whom God hath joined together, let no man or woman put asunder." And then he looked up at the assembled congregation and said. "For as much as Ryan and Marissa have consented together in holy wedlock, have witnessed the same before God and this company, and thereto, have given and pledged their troth, each to the other and have declared the same by the giving and receiving of rings, and by joining hands … I pronounce that they are Husband and Wife." He smiled at the young couple before him and then added to Ryan. "You may kiss your bride."

Ryan didn't need to be asked twice and he leant in and softly and sweetly took the lips of the woman of his dreams.


	162. The Gift

_A/N So this is it for this story._

_But ... I have had a few kind people suggest that I write again. I'm off on hoildays for a few weeks but I guess if there is enough interest when I return then I may start again. But I'm not sure what you would prefer. A sequel to this? A Ryan based college story - not necessarily THIS Ryan - that would be 'R' or 'X' rated. LOL Or something completely different. If you have any preferences then let me know and I'll think about it. Thanks for reading.._

**The Gift**

It was much much later. They had celebrated the night away with their family and friends and it was the wee small hours before they finally returned to their room. Ryan insisted on carrying Marissa over the threshold even though she insisted that he'd done it before.

"Yeah well … I intend to do it every time I get married." He teased.

"And just how often do you intend to do that? Get married I mean." Marissa asked.

"Not sure. But it's a lot of fun. Maybe we should make it an annual event." He suggested.

"So I do get to be a part of it?"

"Of course. I'm not interested in being with anyone else … ever" he added … and as he slowly let her feet slide to the floor as he put her down, their playful banter of a moment ago was lost in the intensity of his feelings for her. He gave her a look that was pure love.

And it was returned in full. "So what do you want to do now?" Marissa asked softly, still leaning against his chest.

"I thought you were tired and wanted to sleep? At least that's what you told everyone else." Ryan replied a knowing smile on his face.

Marissa smiled shyly. "Suddenly not so tired."

Ryan grinned as he took in her unspoken message. "Hmmm. This could turn out to be … the best date ever." He teased as he moved to take her in his arms.

"It already is." She replied as his arms encircled her and their lips met.

After a few moments, as the kiss started to intensify, Ryan reluctantly pulled back "Don't you think that we should get you out of this?" he asked indicating her wedding attire. "It is beautiful and everything … but it covers up a bit too much of my beautiful wife. I was sort of hoping that I may get to see a little more of her now that we are alone."

"I think that we can help you with that." Marissa smiled. She pulled off her gloves and then moved to the mirror to take off her veil. As she reached for her brush her eyes fell onto the small gift wrapped package that she had hidden in her toiletries bag. She picked it up and then turned to him. "I have something for you."

Ryan frowned. "That's not fair. I didn't even know that we were getting married today. I don't want to live my life with you reminding me that I didn't return the favour. How about you keep it and give it to me tomorrow after I've had a chance to go and get something for you."

"Oh no. This isn't that sort of gift." Marissa explained.

"What do you mean it isn't that sort of gift? What sort of gift is it?" Ryan asked puzzled.

"Open it and you'll see." Marissa informed him stating the obvious as she offered it to him yet again.

"But …. I really don't want to. I have nothing for you. It's not fair." Ryan persisted, not wanting to take the small parcel from her.

"I promise you that this is as much for me as it is for you. " Marissa replied. "Plus I can't wait any longer. You have no idea how hard it's been for me to keep this from you."

"You've just managed to pull off a whole surprise wedding without giving me any hints. I'm sure that you are more than capable of keeping this to yourself for another few hours."

"No. Not this. This we need to share. And now!" Marissa informed him.

Ryan was getting more and more intrigued the more she said. The gift was so small. If anything it was shaped a bit like a bracelet case but that didn't make sense. Why would she give him a bracelet? And how could that be as much for her as for him? Unless of course she'd seen something that she'd liked and was buying it for him so that she could wear it to please him? But he doubted that she would do that.

"Go on." Marissa urged. "Unwrap your gift." She smiled and then added "And then I'll let you unwrap me … because there is no way that I can get out of this on my own." She said as she indicated the small silk buttons on the back of her dress.

Ryan laughed. "You have a deal. But … are you sure that we couldn't just get on with the unwrapping of you and leave this to later?" he said as she finally succeeded in handing him the parcel. He frowned. It was so light. It weighed almost nothing. What could it possibly be?

"No." Marissa growled playfully. "And you're starting to get me angry. Just do it. And then we can get on with the rest of the evening. I can't believe that you're the one holding proceedings up."

"By 'proceedings' what do you mean exactly?" Ryan asked.

"Stripping me naked … divesting you of your clothes … and making wild … passionate love to me." Marissa outlined. "At least that's what I had planned … but maybe you're not interested."

Ryan gulped. "I'm very interested."

"Then open the frigging gift." Marissa said her frustration finally getting the better of her. Maybe this hadn't been the right way to go about it.

Ryan knew that he couldn't put it off any longer. When he'd realised how much it meant to her, it had been funny to tease her but he knew that she was close to breaking point and he didn't want that so he gently untied the ribbon and pulled open the wrapping paper only to find … an empty foil and plastic blister pack. He looked at Marissa.

"There's nothing in it." He said.

"I know." She smiled.

"Um … okay … " Ryan frowned … this was getting weirder by the minute. "Should there be?" he asked.

Marissa realised that he still hadn't put two and two together. "Boy for a smart guy you really can be clueless sometimes." She remarked. "Did you notice what sort of pills they were?" she asked.

Ryan turned over the package and then looked up at her even more puzzled. "Their your contraceptive pills." He replied.

Marissa nodded.

"But there isn't any." He said.

Marissa nodded still saying nothing … hoping that he would put it all together himself.

"Why isn't there any?" he asked knowing that she expected him to play her game.

"Because I flushed them down the toilet." Marissa answered proudly.

Ryan's eyes started to bulge as the truth finally hit home. "Are you telling me … I mean …" he started. Unsure as to whether he could believe his own ears. "Are you saying that you're ready to start … that you want to …"

Marissa nodded.

"Really?" Ryan could barely dare to believe that they were going to start trying for a family; a family of their own.

Marissa nodded. "But you missed asking an important question."

"I did." Ryan frowned trying to think what it could be. "What?" he asked.

"You didn't ask **when** I flushed them away." Marissa supplied.

Ryan looked at her frowning slightly. "Okay. I'll bite. **When** did you flush them away?"

"In Paris." She replied smiling as the weight of her words hit home.

"Paris? But that was … we've been … all the time at the farmhouse … so you could be …"

Marissa nodded as Ryan's face broke into a huge grin.

"**Really**?" he asked. On top of the surprise wedding the thought that for the last week they had been playing for keeps … and boy had they been playing ... several times a day … and night.

She nodded.

"So you could be …?"

She nodded.

"Already?"

She nodded.

"Do you really? Think you might be …" Ryan added just in case she had misunderstood his question.

"Yeah. If woman's intuition counts for anything then I'm pretty sure that I am … but I haven't taken a test or anything yet" she explained not wanting to get him too excited just yet.

"But how … when?" Ryan asked still totally bewildered by what she was telling him. The day had already been almost too much for him to take in. This was the icing on the cake.

"The how … I think that you can work out for yourself … unless you were wanting a birds and the bees talk from me." she laughed. "As for the when … if I'm right … and I stress if … then I think it was that first picnic down by the stream."

Ryan remembered it well. When she hadn't let him move off her and he had fallen asleep still buried deep within her. "But how did you know? I mean we've sort of been … doing it quite a lot just recently." Ryan said pointing out the obvious.

"Well firstly I don't KNOW. But that's just what I think. And it was the perfect part of my cycle." She said as she moved to Ryan and started to slowly and deliberately rid him of his clothes.

"So you deliberately seduced me?" he asked smiling as she worked at unbuttoning his shirt. He thought back to their picnic and her standing naked in front of him.

She nodded. "And might I say that you didn't put up much of a fight." She said as she pulled off his shirt and then moved her hands to his belt.

He gently grabbed her by the wrists to stop the movement of her hands. "Well shouldn't we wait to find out for sure before we do anything? I mean if you are … and then we … " he nodded making sure that she got his drift. "I mean maybe we could hurt the baby?"

Marissa laughed out loud. "And what about all the times we've done it since then? The gymnastics in the car? " Marissa shook her head in disbelief. "Ryan Atwood, I assure you that I am not going to spend my wedding night without you inside me. Sure I want our child to be growing inside me but there better be room for the two of you because there is no way that I am going to spend 9 months without being with you. Plus what if I'm wrong and I'm not pregnant? Surely we should make the most of our opportunities? It could be a perfect night to conceive." Marissa added as she continued divesting him of the rest of his clothes and then moved to stand in front of him with her back turned so that he could start on the buttons of her dress.

"Are you sure?" Ryan asked.

"I'm sure about you … about us … the rest will just all fall into place."

---

Much much later they were lying in bed, their naked bodies entwined together. Marissa was dozing but Ryan couldn't close his eyes. Besides everything that had happened that day from waking up in Bellagio, to coming to Venice, to the wedding with all their loved ones … the thought that she may have their child already growing within her was like a miracle to him. She may have had time to come to terms with the knowledge but it was still like a dream to him. To think that they may have created a life together … a child made from their love... a living breathing human being. He placed his hand gently on her stomach marvelling about the very miracle of life.

Marissa stirred and then realising that he was still awake she asked. "What are you thinking about?" she asked tiredly knowing that he must have had something on his mind.

He kissed her gently. "I was just wondering what we'll have first. A boy or a girl."

She smiled. "I think that I know."

"You're just full of surprises aren't you?" he said knowing that either would be fine by him.

"I think that it will be a girl." She stated sleepily.

"Why?" Ryan asked.

Marissa wrapped her arms around her husband and snuggled into him before saying "She'll be another … Girl for Ryan."


End file.
